On this day: India’s first Test series win against Australia

Today, India is one of the most dominant forces in World Cricket. The country is flooded with top-class talent, and it is even possible to make multiple teams from India, which by themselves will be extremely competitive. That is the level of cricket in the country. However, it wasn’t always like this.

In the 20^th Century, India didn’t have as many world-class players. Neither did India have the resources and facilities that are at their disposal today. Hence, each victory, especially in the longest format of the game, was cherished to the fullest. The 70s was a golden period for team India in terms of the development they made. A lot of teams were beaten by them in the 70s for the first time. One amongst them were Australia, who India beat for the very time in a test series in 1979, with the scoreline reading 2-0.

India’s First Series win over Australia#OnThisDay in 1979, India beat Australia by an inngs & 100 runs at Bombay, won the series by 2-0

1st Test – Drawn
2nd Test – Drawn
3rd Test – India won by 153 runs
4th Test – Drawn
5th Test – Drawn
6th Test – India won by inngs & 100 runs pic.twitter.com/NU1xwqscfK

— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) November 7, 2018

India played Australia in the first game at Chennai. The match ended in a draw. The skippers of both the teams, Kim Hughes and Sunil Gavaskar had a good game. The next game at Bengaluru suffered the same fate. In both the games India had batted well and posted 400+ totals. The deadlock was finally broken in the next game at Kanpur as India won comprehensively by 153 runs.

The first 3 innings were neck to neck, but a certain Kapil Dev bowled a dream spell in the 4^th innings, picking up 4 wickets, as the Aussies crumbled to 125. It was an emphatic victory which significantly boosted the morale of the team.

The Kanpur test was followed by 2 more draws. India dominated the 4^th test largely due to the tons from Sunil Gavaskar, Yashpal Sharma and Gundappa Viswanath. Australia had to follow on as well. However, Australia batted well in their second innings and were able to save the game. The 5^th Test was a more closely fought contest. Australia needed to win the Test to keep their hopes alive of winning the series. However, that wasn’t to be. India held their nerve and played out the 4^th draw of the series.

The Golden Moment arrived

India could no longer lose the series. It was already an achievement against an opponent they hadn’t done well historically. But they had an opportunity to win their first series against the mighty Aussies. And the Indians grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Batting first, they piled on 458 in the 1^st innings of the 6^th Test, and their skipper, Gavaskar scored another magnificent ton.

Australia was never in the game, and first crashed to 160 and then for just 198. India had done the unthinkable at Bombay. They had beaten Australia in a Test series for the first time ever. It was a hugely proud moment for the team, who had played some of their best cricket to emerge as winners. It also marked the beginning of a golden era for Indian cricket, as most of the players in this squad also went on and created history at Lords by winning the first World Cup. It can be said, the foundation to that was laid in this historic series!