Gaba wanted to play test, but… Ashwin’s big revelation after 5 years; Also mentioned Ravi Shastri’s anger in the dressing room

Ravichandran Ashwin on Gabba Test Victory: The Australia tour of 2020-21 is considered to be one of the most memorable Test series in the history of Indian cricket. On the same tour, amidst all the difficulties, injuries and criticism, India defeated Australia 2-1 on its own soil for the second consecutive time. Border-Gavaskar Trophy It was in your name. Now an interesting revelation related to this historic victory has been made by former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin, who has retired from international cricket, said that he wanted to play in the historic Gabba Test in Brisbane, but due to a serious back problem it was not possible to take the field.

In conversation at the Cricinfo Honors Awards 2026 R Ashwin Said that he had tried to prove himself fit before the GABA test. Ashwin told that on the morning of the match, he also took a tour of the ground, but the condition of his back was so bad that he was not even able to stand properly. In such a situation, the team management and medical staff did not allow him to take the risk of playing. However, despite being out of the field, he remained with the team for the entire five days and kept encouraging the players.

‘Messengers’ were made between the coaching staff and players

Ashwin told that during the Gaba Test, he was, in a way, working to convey the message between the coaching staff and the players. He was closely watching the atmosphere of the dressing room and was a part of every decision of the team. He said that during that contest many such messages and strategies were being shared which were very interesting and extraordinary.

Ravi Shastri’s anger was visible

Ashwin also narrated an interesting anecdote about the then head coach Ravi Shastri. He told that an easy catch was missed during the match, due to which Shastri became very angry. He was about to take a sip from the water bottle when suddenly in anger he shook the bottle and threw it away. The bottle hit the wall and broke. According to Ashwin, the atmosphere in the dressing room at that time was so tense and emotional that the heartbeats of the players and support staff were increasing with every ball.

Journey from all out on 36 runs to Gabba victory

This series is considered to be one of the biggest comebacks of Indian cricket. In the Adelaide Test, India was all out for just 36 runs, which is its lowest Test score. After this, captain Virat Kohli returned to India due to paternity leave. Many key players got injured and were out of the series. In such a situation, stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane scored a century in the Melbourne Test and gave India a spectacular victory and leveled the series 1-1. In the Sydney Test, Ashwin and Hanuman Vihari showed historic struggle despite being injured. Both the batsmen batted for hours and drew the match and dashed Australia’s hopes of victory.

Pant and Gill created history in Gaba

The decisive match of the series was played at the Gabba ground in Brisbane, where Australia had not lost a Test for 32 years, but young batsman Shubman Gill scored 91 runs and wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant played an unbeaten match-winning inning of 89 runs, helping India achieve the target of 328 runs. With this victory, India won the series 2-1 and also demolished Australia’s Gaba Fort. This victory is still counted among the greatest Test victories in the history of Indian cricket.