Remembering the 5 heroes of India's Gabba win

It has been exactly two years since India's arguably greatest Test win at the Gabba in Brisbane against Australia. That historic win also helped the visitors wrap up the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against all odds.

The series had an incredible storyline, with India getting bowled out for just 36 in the first Test and having one of the darkest days in their cricketing history. Captain Virat Kohli also flew back to be with his family as he was going to become a father.

However, stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane led an injury-hit team to a comeback victory in Melbourne, a heroic draw in Sydney, and finally one of the greatest wins of all time in Brisbane to complete a series that no Indian fan will ever forget.

The win at the Gabba had many youngsters coming together and proving India's incredible depth in talent. Out of the XI that played in Brisbane, only Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane had started the first Test. Still, beating Australia in their own fortress is an achievement that will be very difficult for any team to better.

On that note, let's take a look at the five main architects of the Gabba win (in no particular order of importance, because all were equally important.):

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#5 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur, before the Gabba Test, played just one Test for India and had to hobble off the field with an injury. The all-rounder had a point to prove and boy, didn't he prove it in some style!

Thakur picked up seven wickets in the Test, all coming at crucial intervals and proving why he has a reputation for breaking partnerships. However, his most vital contribution came with the bat.

The visitors trailed by a massive 183 runs in their first innings and had already lost six wickets when Thakur joined Washington Sundar at the crease. He scored a stunning 67 and added a staggering 123 runs for the seventh wicket with Sundar to ensure that they didn't concede a huge lead.

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#4 Washington Sundar

Ravichandran Ashwin injured himself during the third Test in Sydney, and with Ravindra Jadeja also unavailable, the visitors needed an all-rounder to fill the No. 7 slot. Many questioned Washington Sundar's inclusion as they felt Kuldeep Yadav was deserving of inclusion as per the pecking order.

However, the way Sundar performed on his Test debut proved that India had found a new star. He picked up four wickets in the game, but more importantly, stitched that marathon partnership under pressure with Thakur to keep India in the game and also brought up his maiden half-century.

Sundar also played a crucial knock of 22 runs in the fourth innings and provided Rishabh Pant with some much-needed support from the other end.

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#3 Mohammed Siraj

For a player who made his Test debut just a couple of games ago, Mohammed Siraj found himself suddenly leading a pace attack that had a total experience of just four Tests.

It was already a tough tour for Siraj as he lost his late father midway through the Test series. However, he decided to stay back with his team and continue to serve his country.

Siraj showed great maturity and picked up 13 wickets in the series, including his maiden five-wicket haul in the second innings of the Gabba Test. It played a huge role in ensuring that Australia didn't bat the visitors out of the game.

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#2 Shubman Gill

Chasing 328 runs to win the Gabba Test against all odds, India lost the big wicket of Rohit Sharma early on Day 5. It was the perfect start for Australia and they might have felt that they could run through the opposition's batting line-up.

But that wasn't to be, as the young Shubman Gill stepped up and delivered for his team when it mattered the most. Gill played some cracking strokes both off the front foot and back foot and especially took the attack to Mitchell Starc.

The youngster added 114 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara for the second wicket and ensured the visitors had a fantastic platform to keep going in the chase and keep their dreams alive.

Although Gill was dismissed just nine short of what would have been a dream maiden Test hundred, his knock is still remembered as one of the best ever by a visiting batter in Australia.

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#1 Rishabh Pant

The poster boy of India's historic win at the Gabba is arguably none other than Rishabh Pant. It's almost baffling to think that Pant didn't play in the first Test as the visitors preferred Wriddhiman Saha. He was also out of India's white-ball side due to poor form.

However, the last two Tests of the series turned Pant's career around as he suddenly became undroppable from the Indian Test team. Pant's fighting knock of 97 was instrumental in the visitors drawing the Sydney Test and the southpaw just took his batting to the next level in the second innings at the Gabba.

India were 167/3 when Pant walked out to bat and he got going straightaway, playing some delightful shots. The southpaw put pressure on the Aussies and made his intentions clear that the visitors were not going to play for a draw.

With every passing over, fans slowly started believing more and more that India would win and a lot of credit for that goes to Pant. Although they lost wickets towards the end of their chase, Pant ensured that he stayed till the end, unbeaten on 89* and took his team to arguably one of the best Test wins.

The scenes at the Gabba after the win, when the entire Indian team swarmed around Pant, are something that no cricket fan will forget for a very long time.