The defining moments of the Gabba Test

Cheteshwar Pujara

Washington-Thakur duet

When Shardul joined forces with Sundar, India were reeling at 186/6 in pursuit of Australia’s first innings total of 369. Josh Hazlewood, having prized out the set duo Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant in quick succession, was looking for the kill. But debutant Sundar and Shardul, playing only his second Test, were unfazed. The duo, after riding through the early storm, slowly started to open the shoulders. Their 123-run stand ensured the deficit was just 33 runs.

Siraj’s sizzling show

For a guy playing just his third Test match, Siraj showed incredible maturity in not only leading a vastly inexperienced Indian bowling attack with gusto but also setting the match up with a 5/73 effort in the second innings. Largely pilloried for being extremely wayward and expensive in the IPL, Siraj was a different beast with the red ball. He rarely went off trajectory, preying on the patience of the Aussie batsmen and forcing them into the error.

Gill’s special

The 21-year-old showed why he’s been touted the next big thing in Indian cricket. The Australians opted for sweet chin music in a bid to unsettle Gill but the youngster countered fire with fire with some audacious stroke-play. The hooked six, slash over gully and pull through midwicket off Mitchell Starc off consecutive deliveries had everyone mesmerised with his talent. His 91, in fact, set the perfect tone for the chase.

Pujara's obduracy

Pujara’s role this series was to block one end up, frustrate the Australian bowlers and allow the attacking batsmen like Gill, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Pant play around him. And he did that to perfection yet again in the second innings, making a hard-nosed 56 off 211 balls, his slowest half-century. Some balls spat alarmingly and hit Pujara on the head, body and hands. His blunting of the Australian bowling allowed batsmen at the other end to stay on the attack.

Pant’s final flourish

Head coach Ravi Shastri keeps hailing Pant as a ‘match-winner’ and prefers to play him abroad despite Wriddhiman Saha's superior wicketkeeping skills. Pant proved and showed why the team believes in his abilities so much. Often accused of throwing his wicket away, Pant displayed rare patience and never fell for the temptation. He even carried India home to make a big announcement.