The 2018-19 India tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be remembered for years, as the visitors made history by becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series Down Under. The remarkable achievement was accomplished under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
The visitors began the series on a strong note, winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs, with Cheteshwar Pujara earning Player of the Match honor for his impressive knocks of 123 and 71 across two innings. However, Australia bounced back in the second Test in Perth, claiming a 146-run victory, with Nathan Lyon leading the charge by taking eight wickets.
India regained control in the third Test in Melbourne, winning by 137 runs, largely thanks to Jasprit Bumrah, who took nine wickets in the match.
In the final Test in Sydney, India declared their first innings at a commanding 622-7, with Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159*) leading the way. Australia responded with 300, and India enforced the follow-on. However, rain brought an early end to the match, resulting in a draw. Despite this, India clinched a historic 2-1 series victory on January 7, 2019.
Following the series triumph, Virat Kohli, along with his teammates and fans, celebrated by singing and dancing to the patriotic song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti."
Here’s a video of the moment:
Meanwhile, India maintained their dominance, securing their second consecutive Test series victory in Australia in 2020-21, marking the first time in history that they won back-to-back series Down Under.
Virat Kohli faltered with the bat as India failed to complete a hat-trick of series wins in Australia in 2024-25
India entered the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy intending to secure a third consecutive series win in Australia. The visitors made a strong start, winning the first Test by 295 runs, with former captain Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten century in the second innings.
However, things took a downturn in the next match as Australia won by 10 wickets in Adelaide. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw, heavily affected by rain. India missed crucial opportunities in the Boxing Day Test, where they lost by 184 runs, with just 12 overs remaining on the final day.
The hosts maintained their dominance in the fifth Test, securing a six-wicket win and clinching the series 3-1, thus denying India a third consecutive series win in Australia. Meanwhile, after scoring a century in the first game, Virat Kohli's form faltered, and he managed only 190 runs in the series, at a modest average of 23.75.
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