Pant, Gill and a slice of heaven called Gabba

Returning to Brisbane gives the duo the chance to relive the day they stunned the world in 2021

- Ashish Magotra

BRISBANE: It will never get old. A bit like the six by MS Dhoni in the 2011 World Cup final, Rishabh Pant's four will forever be enshrined in our memory. When you think of Gabba, you think of Pant and that boundary.

It wasn't even well struck. It was a half push-half block, hit in the gap. There was no mid-off and the ball didn't exactly race to the boundary either. Rather, it seemed to trickle towards the fence. And that is why Pant kept running before he finally punched the air in delight. Unforgettable.

At 9:34 am on Thursday morning, Pant stepped on the ground for the first time since that day. He took the shortest of pauses and closed his eyes before looking around and taking in the sight and slowly, as is his way, joining the team for its training session.

The pause, short as it was, would have been enough to revisit that evening. It must have all seemed so surreal then.

For many Indians, it still is.

On air, the commentary went like this: "It's full, it's down the ground, it will be at least one, Saini he's got an injury in the groin...it goes as far as the fence. Indiaaa..."

Incredible. Rishabh Pant is the star. India win the Test...they win the series...and they win the hearts and the minds of cricket fans all around the world. Test cricket's heart is beating hard, it's beating true. One of the most incredible sporting performances ever seen on Australian soil. They were down, they were out and India have risen and they have held on to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a truly epic Test series."

Pant (who made 89 not out) was a 23-year-old then - just 15 Tests old. Shubman Gill (who made 91) was 22 and a mere three Tests old. The task in front of them was huge: chase down 328 to win or last 98 overs for a draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. On most grounds that would have been difficult but this was Gabba, Australia's fortress, where they had not lost since 1988.

'Normal cricket'