Australia vs India, 4th Test: Rishabh Pant played the match-winning knock on 5 th in Brisbane to lead India to victory and also retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rishabh Pant played an unbeaten 89 off 138 balls to lead India to victory at the Gabba in Brisbane against Australia on the 5th day of the fourth Test. A three-wicket victory also meant that the spectators retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and won the four-match Test series. During the post-match ceremony, an emotional Pant said, “This is the biggest moment of my life now, and I’m glad that all the support staff and all my teammates supported me even when I wasn’t playing” .
Ant, criticized for his performance in international cricket, silenced his critics like a T20. The wicketkeeper-batsman always credited India’s team management for supporting him. He said, “This is a dream series. The team management always supports me and tells me that you are the matchwinner and you have to win the match for the team.”
Pant played a brilliant innings of 97 runs during the third Test, which was instrumental in drawing Australia to the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He said, “I keep thinking every day that I want to win the match for India and I did it today.”
Also revealing about the condition of the pitch, Pant said, “It was the fifth day pitch and the ball was turning a bit. I felt that I would have to be disciplined with my shot selection.”
India started off slow on day 5 with opener Rohit Sharma losing his wicket cheaply in the opening phase. With the departure of India’s vice-captain, 21-year-old Shubman Gill smashed 91 runs off 146 balls, helping his team make a comeback.
Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara once again proved his mental fortitude by playing a brilliant innings of 56 off 211 balls. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane (24) and Washington Sundar (22) also contributed well to the scoreboard.
For the home team, Pat Cummins was the star bowler taking four wickets. Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon took two wickets in his 100th Test match.
With the win, India are going to appear in their upcoming four-match Test series against England on a positive note. The first Test match will begin on 5 February.
