Shardul Thakur & Washington Sundar break 30-year-old batting record at the Gabba

In another testament to the indomitable spirit of India’s Test side, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar notched up a staggering 123-run seventh-wicket stand at the Gabba.

In the process, the pair not only pared down the Australian lead to under a hundred but also broke a three-decades-old record.

When the pair registered the 59th run of the partnership, it became the highest Indian partnership for the 7th wicket at the Gabba. The feat was previously held by the pair of Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar that made 58 in 1991.

At the time of writing, Washington Sundar had completed his maiden Test fifty. The southpaw played eye-catching straight drives against the Aussie quicks in the process.

Shardul Thakur, playing only his second Test, struck even better for his 67, flaunting some unbelievable back-foot punches and two huge sixes.

It took a crackerjack delivery from Pat Cummins to knock over Thakur’s off-stump and break the partnership.

Thakur and Sundar’s crucial knocks came close on the heels of a mini-collapse which saw the visitors lose four wickets inside 80 runs.

Rishabh Pant was the sixth Indian wicket to fall as the wicketkeeper-batsman was stunningly caught at gully by Cameron Green.

Has Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar’s partnership brought India back into the game?

Both Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar weren’t first-choice in the XI. The duo had stayed back from the limited-overs series as nets bowlers and got their opportunities as injury replacements.

Thakur took the wicket of Marcus Harriss off his first ball of the game and came back to dismiss both Tim Paine and Cummins. Sundar, on the other hand, accounted for Steve Smith, Green and Nathan Lyon’s wickets.

Now their century stand has brought India right back into the contention for retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. If the batting tail can chip in with some more small contributions, the visitors will certainly fancy their chances against a blow-hot blow-cold Aussie lineup on the deteriorating Gabba pitch.

Published 17 Jan 2021, 12:17 IST