India's 5 Test match wins on Australian soil

Australia has not been a happy hunting ground for team India in Test cricket. Having toured Australia for the first time in the year 1947, Team India has failed to win a single Test series down under in 71 years.

Australia have beaten India in 8 out of the 11 Test series and the remaining 3 series ended in draws in Australia.

Out of 44 Test matches played down under, Team India has won just 5, lost 28 Tests and drawn 11. Team India has a golden opportunity to create history and beat Australia in the upcoming 4 match Test series.

Let us go down the memory lane and revisit team India's 5 Test wins on Australian soil:

---

#1 First Test victory on Australian soil- 1977/1978- Melbourne

India's 1977-1978 tour of Australia was indeed a memorable one. Having lost the first two Test matches at Brisbane and Perth narrowly by margins of 16 runs and 2 wickets respectively, Team India bounced back in an emphatic manner in the third Test at Melbourne.

Batting first, India had the worst of starts with both the openers getting out without opening their accounts. Mohinder Amarnath and Gundappa Viswanath both scored half-centuries and led India to a respectable total of 256 in the first innings.

Erapally Prasanna had the Australian batsmen in his spinning web and he picked up 6 wickets for 52 runs in 14.1 overs. Australia were bowled out of 213 and India had a lead of 43 runs in the first innings.

India's second innings saw a brilliant century from Sunil Gavaskar on a difficult batting wicket and riding on Gavaskar's century India scored 343 and Australia were set a target of 386 to win the Test.

Bedi and Chandrasekhar picked up all the 10 Australian wickets in the fourth innings and bowled out the Australians for just 164 runs.

Team India won its first ever Test on Australian soil after 11 Tests and 30 years.

#2 A win by an innings and 2 runs- 1978 Sydney

Team India beat Australia by a margin of an innings and 2 runs at Sydney

Team India was on a high after beating Australia in the third Test at Melbourne. The fourth Test at Sydney saw another dominating performance by India as they thrashed the hosts by a margin of an innings and 2 runs.

The innings victory at Sydney in the year 1978 is the only Test team India has won by an innings on Australian soil.

Australia were bowled out for just 131 in the first innings of the Test with the spin duo of Bedi and Chandrasekhar picking up 7 wickets. India scored 396 runs in their first innings with valuable half-centuries from Viswanath and Ghavri.

Having a lead of 265 in the first innings, team India bowled out the Australian team for 263 runs in their second innings and thus triumphed by a margin of an innings and 2 runs.

Team India registered 2 consecutive wins on Australian soil in the 1977-1978 series but were beaten by a margin of 3-2 in the 5 match Test series.

#3 A win after conceding a lead of 182 in the first innings- 1981 Melbourne

Kapil Dev picked up 5 wickets in the fourth innings and led India to a win

Team India were down and out in the 3 match Test series in the year 1981. Australia were 1-0 up in the 3 match Test series with the final Test to be played at Melbourne.

Dennis Lillee picked up 4 wickets and bowled out team India for a moderate total of 237 in the first innings of the Melbourne Test. In return, Allan Border scored a brilliant 124 and led Australia to a total of 419 runs in their first innings.

Australia led India by 182 runs and very few experts gave team India a chance to triumph in the Test. In India's second innings, Gavaskar and Chauhan scored cautious half centuries and riding on the solid start provided by the openers, India scored 324 runs in their second innings and Australia were given a target of just 142 runs to win the Test series by a margin of 2-0.

However, the Australians were bundled out for just 83 runs in their second innings and India won the Test by a margin of 59 runs. Kapil Dev picked up 5 wickets in the second innings and led India to an improbable win.

This win was India's third on Australian soil and second at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

#4 Rahul Dravid and Ajit Agarkar's heroics 2003- Adelaide

Rahul Dravid scored 305 runs in the Adelaide Test

India's 2003-2004 tour of Australia was Steve Waugh's last international series and the hosts were all set to thrash the visiting Indian team who had a dismal record down under.

After the rain-affected drawn Test at Brisbane, Australia riding on Ricky Ponting's 242 scored 556 runs in their first innings.

Team India were struggling at one stage in their first innings when they lost 4 wickets for just 85 runs. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman added 385 runs for the fifth wicket and India scored 523 runs in their first innings. Rahul Dravid scored a brilliant 233 and was the last man out in India's innings.

Australia had a narrow lead of 33 in the first innings. It was now the turn of Ajit Agarkar who had a dream spell in the third innings of the Test. The pacer from Mumbai picked up 6 wickets which included Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Andy Bichel and Jason Gillespie. Australia were bowled out for just 196 in their third innings and India were set a target of 230 to win the Test.

Rahul Dravid scored an unbeaten 72 in the fourth innings and led India to a famous 4-wicket win over a strong Australian team. The win at Adelaide is one of the greatest wins of team India overseas in recent times.

#5 The famous victory at Perth in 2008

Team India won the third Test at Perth by a margin of 72 runs in the year 2008

Team India's 2008 tour of Australia was indeed a controversial one. After losing the first Test against the hosts at Melbourne, team India lost the second Test at Sydney too. There were various umpiring decisions which did not go in favour of Team India and which affected their chances of winning the Test.

The monkeygate scandal during the second Test was another off field controversy which involved both the teams.

The third Test was to be played at Perth which was supposed to assist quick bowlers. Team India were 2-0 down in the 4 match Test series and had never won a Test at Perth.

Anil Kumble, the captain of the Indian team during the 2008 series, inspired his team and led them to one of the most famous victories overseas.

Batting first, India scored a respectable 330 in the first innings with Rahul Dravid scoring 93 and Sachin Tendulkar scoring 71. The Australian pace bowlers namely Lee, Clark, Tait and Johnson, who were expected to run through the Indian batting line up struggled to bowl the right lines and lengths to Indian batsmen and had to pay the price.

India bowled out Australia for a total of just 212 in Australia's first innings with R.P. Singh picking up 4 wickets and Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Anil Kumble picked up 2 wickets apiece.

India scored 294 in their second innings and VVS Laxman made a valuable contribution of 79 runs. Australia were set a target of 412 to win the Test.

India bowled out the Australian team for 340 runs in the fourth innings and won the Test by a margin of 72 runs. Irfan Pathan picked up 3 wickets in the said innings.

The win at Perth is till date one of the best wins for Team India down under.