Australia vs India 2018: Closest Test Wins for Team India by Runs

Team India had played some brilliant cricket against hosts Australia in the first Test match of the four-match series at Adelaide, and everyone chipped in to contribute, this time around. Eventually, the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Test series, and with this latest win, India registered one of the closest Test wins by runs.

Virat Kohli and his company won the first Test of the four-match Test series by 31 runs following some resistance from hosts. India is the second Asian side to win the first Test of a series in Australia after Pakistan at the MCG which came in 1978-79 (series 1-1).

Moreover, Kohli is the first Indian captain to win Tests in Australia, England and South Africa respectively in a calendar year. Previously, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni won Tests in England and South Africa. However, they failed to achieve such feat in Australia.

India had managed to score 250 runs in first innings, courtesy Cheteshwar Pujara’s brilliance who scored a brilliant 123 in the first essay.

However, Pujara got equal support in the middle order to put pressure back on the opposition. Australia in return could only score 235 runs. Travis Head was the only batsman who managed to score a half-century.

With this, India took first innings lead of 15 runs, whereas, Ajinkya Rahane stitched the partnership with Pujara. Pujara had slammed a half-century scoring 71 runs while Rahane scored 70 runs.

Kangaroos off-spinner Nathan Lyon was the pick of the bowlers who bagged seven scalps.

Moreover, in 2004, India won the closest Test match against Australia previously in Mumbai.

Now with this win, it had made an entry in the list as the third closest Test win for Team India in terms of runs.

Closest Test wins for India (by runs):

13 v Aus, Mumbai WS, 2004
28 v Eng, Kolkata, 1972-73
31 v Aus, Adelaide, 2018
37 v WI, Port of Spain, 2002
49 v WI, Kingston

India will play their second Test match against Australia on December 14, 2018, at Perth.