Ajinkya Rahane matches Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni's COLOSSAL feat after Gabba Test win

In the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane guided India to a historic Test series win in Australia. After getting shot out for 36 within an hour of Day 3 at the Adelaide Oval, Rahane lifted up the spirits of a broken and injury-marred Indian side to outperform Australia on their home turf in the next three Tests. In the process of doing so, the Team India captain also breached Australia’s ‘Fortress’ which remained a burial ground for visitors from November 1988 up until India's historic win on the feared turf. 

India vs Australia 4th Test 2021: The Gabba breached, title defended and Championship points gained

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Ajinkya Rahane joins Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni with victory in India vs Australia 4th Test 2021

The last time an Australian side lost a Test match at The Gabba was way back in November 1988. Back then, the Viv Richards-led West Indies side thrashed the hosts by nine wickets on the back of Curtly Ambrose’s twin three-wicket hauls. The nine-wicket defeat was followed by a 32-year-old streak for the Australian side where they maintained an unbeaten run against all touring parties.

The sequence, known to be one of the proudest chapters of Australia’s rich Test history, was finally broken, thanks to a spirited fightback from a young bunch of Indian cricketers. Interestingly, Ajinkya Rahane is not the only Indian skipper to break a famous Australian streak in international cricket. Similar Australian streaks, once known to spark fear in their opponents, have been red-signalled by a proud line of legendary Indian captains. Here is a list of some famous Australian cricketing runs at the highest stage getting curtailed under an Indian captain.

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16 consecutive Test wins

Australia hold the record of registering most successive wins in Test cricket. They won 16 straight matches on two different occasions. While their dominant run under Steve Waugh was ended by Sourav Ganguly & Co. in 2001 in Kolkata, Ricky Ponting’s bunch of Test pinnacles ended their 16-match run to an Indian team led by Anil Kumble in 2008.

Asian captains winning series and conquering WACA, Gabba

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are the only two Indian captains to ever register a Test series win in Australia. Moreover, the two cricketers are also the only two Asian captains to do so. India is also the only team to end Australia’s unbeaten run over Asian sides at the WACA (2008) and Gabba (2021), courtesy of Anil Kumble and Ajinkya Rahane respectively.

Also Read | Rishabh Pant Beats MS Dhoni For BIG All-time Indian Record In Test Cricket At The Gabba

World Cup triumphant sequence

Australia were in pursuit of their fourth successive World Cup title during the 2011 quadrennial event in India. Under the leadership of Ricky Ponting, the defending champions set up a date with MS Dhoni’s India in the quarterfinal. Yuvraj Singh played a match-winning knock to end Australia’s dream World Cup run and just a few days later, captain MS Dhoni launched a six over long on to end India’s 28-year old World Cup drought.

India vs Australia 4th Test 2021: Gabba Test updates

Indian openers made their way onto the middle on Day 5 of the Gabba Test, which also marked the final day of India’s two-month long tour of Australia. Chasing 328 to pull off an unlikely Day 5 match and series victory, young opener Shubman Gill scored a cracking 91 from just 146 balls while batting barnacle Cheteshwar Pujara guarded the wicket from his end. Rishabh Pant later played out an 89-run blinder to see India past the finishing line.

Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill star in India’s epic series-clinching win at The Gabba, watch video

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