Test Victories over Australia which changed the mindset of Indian Cricket

#5 Kapil Dev bowls India to victory at Melbourne

India locked horns with a formidable Australian side at the MCG, considered to be their bastion. A stoic knock from Gundappa Viswanath was the only silver lining for the visitors, as the other batsmen faltered. The knock was met with another innings of the same intensity by Allan Border, who enabled the hosts to run away with a 182-run lead. India then posted a not so daunting target of 143.

A fine century from G Viswanath, the walkout threat of Gavaskar, the match had everything but the match is remembered for the grit and mettle of the Indian bowlers. With a less glaring target on the board, all the three frontline bowlers of India were injured, Kapil Dev's hamstring injury did not allow him to bowl on day 4, Shivlal Yadav had seven painkiller injections to nurse his toe that broken while batting, while Dilip Doshi had not recovered from a similar injury prior to the series.

When the road seemed to have ended, Kapil Dev bowled what was probably one of the finest spells of the era, forcing the Australian batsmen to crumble on their home ground, not having much for the bowlers. He ran through the middle and lower order to end with figures of 5-28, bowling out the hosts for a mere 83, handing a 59-run victory for India.

This victory at the start of the decade was a significant boost for the Indian mindset, which paved the way for many glories, with the zenith being the World Cup of 1983.