Channelling the improbable conquest at the Gabba in 2021

[Gabba 2021](https://preview.redd.it/gkpkzhj68o6e1.png?width=1844&format=png&auto=webp&s=c036d412a79b8b869443840d19c03d754a5170b8) Going into the fifth day, India had all ten wickets in hand and needed either 324 runs to win or to survive at least 95-96 overs to draw the game. I remember going to bed that night thinking about those 95 overs or 570 balls to be faced the next day. Honestly, I didn’t think India would even attempt to win because all we needed was a draw to retain the series. My only wish was for India to bat through those 95 overs, hold off Australia, and walk away with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As is customary when watching a game in Australia, I had my early morning alarm set for 5:30 AM. It woke me up, and I switched on the game, watching every ball and mentally deducting it from the total of 570. It gave me a sense of progress, feeling like we were inching closer to a draw. Then, Sharma nicked one to Paine off Cummins, and we lost our first wicket at 18. I thought, “Okay, first wicket down, but there’s still a lot of batting to come.” Gill and Pujara came together at the crease. Gill began to look ominous, while Pujara was as formidable as ever. For anyone who recalls that game, I don’t think I’ve ever seen, nor can I remember any player take as many body blows as Pujara did that day. It felt like he put his body on the line for the team, absorbing everything Australia threw at him. I counted at least eight or nine blows to his gloves, chest, and even his helmet. At one point, the helmet guard came off, but Pujara stood his ground, unflinching. Gill, in contrast, played some delightful strokes - cuts through the gully, backfoot punches, and a glorious cover drive off Cummins. He even came down the track to drive Lyon through the covers. While the scoring rate hovered around two runs per over, none of it mattered. As each hour passed, the draw seemed closer within our grasp. By lunch, India had reached 83 in 38 overs, with the scoring rate slightly over two runs per over. There were still about 59 overs to bat and 250-odd runs to get, but nobody was thinking about those runs. All that mattered were the two sessions left to bat and the nine wickets in hand. The odds seemed to favor a draw. After lunch, Gill began to open up. I recall a half-hour phase where he stroked the ball square of the wicket on both sides, pulling Starc and Cummins and even playing an uppercut for six. Pujara, too, flourished briefly, hitting a couple of boundaries. The score raced to about 130 when Gill was caught in the slips for 91, driving against Lyon. It felt like a turning point. Any faint hopes of an improbable win began to fade. Watching Gill walk back was heartbreaking. I thought, “Surely, now India won’t attempt to win. We should just focus on batting out the overs.” Then Rahane walked in. But unknown to us watching, the dressing room had other plans. Rahane looked busy at the crease, constantly looking for singles and tapping the ball into gaps. When he lofted Lyon over mid-wicket for six, I thought, “Wait a minute. Are we really thinking about a win? Surely not.” However, Rahane fell while attempting to uppercut Cummins, edging faintly to the keeper. This brought Pant to the crease. At this stage, around 40 overs remained, and with 162 runs required, it still felt like we were playing for a draw. Pant and Pujara then formed a patient partnership, adding about 60 runs in 24 overs. Pant, known for his adventurous batting, was unusually cautious, scoring his first 30 runs off 80 balls. It seemed clear that India had abandoned any thoughts of chasing the target, focusing instead on the draw. But then, Pujara fell, and Mayank Agarwal joined Pant. In their brief partnership, Pant began to open up again. India scored 37 runs in just six overs, rekindling faint hopes of an impossible victory. “Could we do it?” I thought. “Could we conquer this fortress where Australia hadn’t lost for 30 years?” Pant and Sundar then put together a match-changing 51-run partnership in just nine overs. While Pant’s counterattack was brilliant, Sundar played his part, too, with delightful strokes, including a pull off Cummins for six and an elegant off-drive. When Sundar fell to a reverse sweep, India was just 10 runs away from an impossible victory. Shardul Lord Thakur came in but didn’t last long. It was down to Pant, who stepped up in those final moments. When he drove the ball through mid-off, I remember Shane Warne thinking it would just be a single. But as the ball raced to the boundary, India had done it. We had won. The scenes were unforgettable. Winning a Test match in Australia and clinching the series 2-1 felt indescribably joyous. The 2018 series win was historic, but this was different. This time, Australia had their full-strength team with Warner, Smith, their lethal pace attack, and Lyon. In contrast, India had lost five or six key players during the series, including Kohli. After being bowled out for 36 in the first Test, a series win seemed impossible. Yet, against all odds, we triumphed. As soon as the game ended, I called my brother. We’ve been lifelong cricket fans, especially of Test cricket. Talking about that game, reliving those moments, felt like nothing else. It was a feeling that will stay with me forever.