Conquering Melbourne: India’s most successful away venue in Test cricket
Making an astonishing comeback in the Test series after the horrendous loss in Adelaide, India did the unthinkable. The visitors emerged victorious by eight wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second Test against Australia. The thumping victory was India’s fourth at the historic ground. With this win, it also became India’s most successful away venue in Test cricket.
Before this Test, India had won three Tests each at four overseas venues. Two of these are in the West Indies, one is in Sri Lanka and the remaining was Melbourne.
At the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, India won their first test in 1971 which was completed their first-ever series victory in West Indies. Later in 1976, India chased down the target of 403 runs to register their second victory. 26 years later, the visitors clinched their third victory with a 37-run margin.
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Outings at the Sabina Park, Jamaica have been very successful for the Indian team in recent history. Their first victory in Jamaica was in 2006, which was followed by another victory in the subsequent tour in 2011. Last year in 2019, Jaspreet Bumrah’s magnificent spell of 6/27 including a hat-trick confirmed India’s third victory at the venue.
At the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, India won by a whopping margin of 235 runs against Sri Lanka in 1993. They then completed a series victory in 2015 with the decisive win at the same venue. In 2017, India won by an innings and 53 runs to celebrate their third victory in Colombo at the same ground.
India’s winning record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground began in 1978. Playing against a depleted Australian team due to the Kerry Packer revolt, India recorded their first victory at the iconic ground by a huge margin of 222 runs. Three years later, the Indian bowlers defended a paltry total of 143 in the fourth innings to register a sensational 59-run victory against Australia.
After a long break, India emerged victorious in Melbourne in 2018. All-round contributions from the batsmen and Bumrah’s 6/33 helped Kohli’s men secure a 2-1 lead in the series. The recently-concluded Melbourne Test is India’s fourth at the venue. With the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane scoring a century in the first innings, India clinched a lead of 131 runs. Australia were bowled out for 200 in the second innings and India chased down the target of 70 runs with the loss of two wickets. The series stands levelled after this victory.
