Celebrating India’s Four Consecutive Test Series Victories Against Australia

In the annals of cricket history, few rivalries are as fiercely contested as that between India and Australia. Over the years, this rivalry has delivered unforgettable moments and spectacular performances, none more so than last year’s Cricket World Cup final.

The Indians hosted the tournament and won every single game en route to the Ahmedabad showpiece. However, there they fell apart and were usurped by the Baggy Greens, who emerged victorious in a dominant fashion. The Men in Blue have since secured their redemption, winning the recent T20 World Cup, the country’s first piece of silverware since 2011. However, now they get the chance to head to Australia and defeat them in their backyard, just as the Aussies did to them barely 12 months ago.

Usually, as we head into the winter – or the Australian summer – attention is firmly on the Ashes Series. However, the next contest between Australia and England doesn’t take place for another 14 months, and a series that the latest cricket betting lines make the Aussies a huge -165 favorite to win. But first, the Baggy Greens face the stern test of the Indians, a test they haven’t managed to pass in a decade.

Indeed the Men in Blue have dominated Australia in the last four test series contested between the two. Here is the story of those contests and what we can expect to see in the coming months.

The Turning Point

The 2016-17 battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a defining moment for Indian cricket. Hosted in the subcontinent, the series was a fierce one. The Aussies hadn’t managed to win on enemy territory for 12 years, but they had more than held their own on home turf, winning the two most recent series contested in the Land Down Under. As such, many thought that they had a very real chance of leaving India with the silverware, but that ultimately didn’t come to fruition.

Australia laid down a marker in the first test, stunning the hosts by winning the first Test in Pune by a massive margin, thanks to Steve O’Keefe’s outstanding bowling performance. The slow left-armer took 12 wickets throughout the match, six in each innings. That ensured that the Indians collapsed to scores of 105 and 107 all out. A blistering Steve Smith century helped his side to a whopping 333-run victory, and it appeared that the tourists were the frontrunners for the glory.

In true Indian fashion though, the hosts came roaring back. Ravichandran Ashwin helped himself to 12 wickets of his own in the second test to seal a 75-run victory, while a drawn third test meant it was all to play for in the fourth and final test.

Heading into the latter stages of that contest, the match was finely poised and India held a slender 33-run lead. However, their devastating bowling attack led by the mercurial Ashwin managed to skittle the tourists for 137 in their second innings, helping his side to a resounding eight-wicket victory.

Conquering the Final Frontier

The 2018-19 series marked India’s historic first-ever Test series win on Australian soil. Virat Kohli’s men were determined to rewrite history, hitting the ground running by securing a 31-run victory in the first test in Adelaide courtesy of two brilliant knocks from Cheteshwar Pujara. The Baggy Greens fought back in the second test, winning by 148 runs in Perth thanks to eight wickets from Nathan Lyon, but the tourists would not be deterred.

Jasprit Bumrah took nine wickets in the Boxing Day test at the MCG, while another century from Pujara helped the Indians take a 2-1 series lead. Then in the fourth and final test, another knock of 193 from the Gujarat-born star helped the tourists to a mighty score of 622/7. Ultimately the weather then took over, forcing the match to end as a draw and handing India their first-ever series victory on Australian soil.

Grit Down Under

Two years later, Australia opened again, and global events meant that the series was a much different one to years gone by with no supporters in attendance. However, despite the lack of an atmosphere, the two rivals combined to battle out one of the greatest series in the history of cricket. After a humiliating defeat in the first test at Adelaide, where India was bowled out for 36, the team faced an uphill battle.

Injuries plagued the squad, and Kohli’s departure on paternity leave added to the challenges. Yet, under Ajinkya Rahane’s calm leadership, the Men in Blue staged a phenomenal comeback. India tied things up at one test apiece with yet another victory at the MCG before a draw in the third test in Sydney left it all to play for.

Unfortunately for the tourists, that clash came at the Gabba, a ground where Australia hadn’t lost for 32 years. Heading into the final day, India had to either beat the target of 328 runs or bat out 114 overs to either win or draw. In the end, it was the former that they achieved, with a sensational 91 from Shubman Gil steering his side to victory.

Affirming Dominance

The 2022-23 series was about consolidating India’s dominance. Backed by a well-rounded team, India once again displayed their prowess on home soil.

With an emerging crop of players, including the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel, complementing seasoned campaigners like Kohli and Ashwin, India showcased their dominance. They won the first two tests to claim an unassailable 2-0 lead before defeat in the third and a draw in the fourth helped them to cling to the trophy once again.

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