Explore India’s historic 9 Test Wins By India on Australian soil, showcasing incredible performances and memorable cricketing moments over the years. The Indian cricket team first toured Australia for a test series in 1947/48. However, it took them three decades to win their first test match on Australian soil.
Winning a test match in Australia has always been difficult for any Asian team because the playing conditions are very different from those in their home countries.
India found it hard to win in Australia. In the 20th century, they won only three test matches there, but in the 21st century, they have done much better, winning six tests in the last 24 years.
India is the only Asian team to win a test series in Australia, and they have achieved this in consecutive tours.
This article will look at all of India’s test match wins in Australia.
9. Melbourne, December 1977
Bishan Singh Bedi was the first captain to lead India to a test win in Australia. This victory came during the 1977/78 tour in the third test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). India didn’t start well, losing both openers for ducks in the first innings.
However, Sunil Gavaskar’s century (118) and Gundappa Viswanath’s two half-centuries (59 and 54) kept India in the game. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar’s outstanding performance, taking 12 wickets (6/52 and 6/52), helped India win by 222 runs.
8. Sydney, January 1978
After winning the MCG test during the 1977/78 tour, India went on to win the next test at Sydney Cricket Ground. India declared their innings at 396/8, with Gundappa Viswanath (79) and Karsan Ghavri (64) both scoring half-centuries.
In the second innings, India’s spin trio—Bishan Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, and Erapalli Prasanna—took 16 wickets between them, helping dismiss Australia for 131 and 263. India won the match by an innings and two runs.
Despite this victory, Australia won the test series 3-2.
7. Melbourne, February 1981
India played a draw in a test series against Australia (1-1) for the first time in 1980/81. The only win in the three-match series came at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and it was an exciting match.
After India scored 237, Australia responded with 419, taking a first-innings lead of 182 runs. Facing a big target, Chetan Chauhan (85) and captain Sunil Gavaskar (70) put together a 165-run partnership for the opening wicket, and India finished with 324.
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With Australia needing 143 runs to win, they were the favorites. However, a brilliant 5/28 performance from Kapil Dev helped India bowl Australia out for just 83 runs, winning the match by 59 runs.
6. Adelaide, December 2003
It took India more than 20 years to win their next test match in Australia. This victory came under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy, with Rahul Dravid playing a crucial role. Dravid scored 233 runs in the first innings and an unbeaten 72 in the second to help India win the Adelaide Test in 2003.
India successfully chased a target of 230 runs, with four wickets remaining and Dravid still batting. VVS Laxman also contributed with scores of 148 and 32, while Ajit Agarkar took eight wickets in the match.
5. Perth, January 2008
The 2007/08 tour was unforgettable for India, filled with controversies both on and off the field. Because of this, their win in the Perth test, after the drama in Sydney, was especially memorable and remains one of their best victories in Australia.
It was also a comeback match for Irfan Pathan, and he made it count. He scored 28 and 46 runs with the bat and took 2/63 and 3/54 with the ball. Australia, chasing a target of 413 runs, were all out for 340, and India won by 72 runs.
4. Adelaide, December 2018
India’s first test series win in Australia came during the 2018/19 tour, where they won 2-1. The first victory of the series was at Adelaide Oval in the opening match.
Cheteshwar Pujara played brilliantly, scoring 123 and 71 runs. Australia needed 323 runs to win in the final innings.
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Although the lower-order batsmen fought hard, Australia fell short by 31 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah took six wickets each in the match.
3. Melbourne, December 2018
India’s second win on the 2018/19 tour came at the MCG in the third test of the series. Cheteshwar Pujara scored 106, while Virat Kohli (82), Mayank Agarwal (76), and Rohit Sharma (63) all made half-centuries in India’s first innings.
India declared their first innings at 443/7, giving them a lead of 282 runs after dismissing Australia for 151. In their second innings, India declared at 106/8, setting Australia a target of 399 runs.
Australia was bowled out for 261, and India won by 137 runs. Jasprit Bumrah’s nine wickets earned him the Player of the Match award.
2. Melbourne, December 2020
After being bowled out for just 36 runs in the second innings of the first test in Adelaide during the 2020/21 tour, India was missing some key players for the second test at MCG, including captain Virat Kohli.
However, India made an amazing comeback, with stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane scoring 112 and 27*. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj also played crucial roles, taking six and five wickets, respectively. India needed only 70 runs to win, and they achieved the target with eight wickets to spare.
1. Brisbane, January 2021
India’s victory in Brisbane in 2021 is one of the most memorable test wins in Australian history, as it ended Australia’s 32-year unbeaten streak at the Gabba. This win was especially significant because India played with a weakened team due to several key players being injured or unavailable.
India needed to chase 328 runs to win and finished with 329/7, making it one of their top three highest successful chases in test cricket. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 89 off 138 balls was crucial in guiding India to victory.
Shubman Gill (91) and Cheteshwar Pujara (56) also contributed greatly to the chase. Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan, and others played key roles in this historic win.