How India Outsmarted Australia in Famous Gabba Test Win: Rohit Sharma Communicates in Sign Language from the Dugout

The Brisbane Test victory in the 2020/21 series against Australia will forever be etched in the annals of Indian cricket history as a truly legendary moment. Despite facing numerous setbacks, including key players being sidelined with injuries, Team India rose to the occasion and conquered the formidable Gabba fortress against all odds.

The victory marked Australia’s first defeat at the venue in 32 years in Test cricket. While Rishabh Pant was the star of India's incredible 328-run chase with a brilliant unbeaten 89, many players stepped up at different occasions throughout the Test match. Shardul Thakur, the Indian bowling all-rounder, played a crucial knock during the first innings when the side required a strong partnership to prevent the home side from getting an edge.

Shardul arrived at the crease with India's score at 186/6 in response to Australia's 369, and scored a brilliant 67 off 115 deliveries. More importantly, he forged an excellent 123-run stand for the seventh wicket alongside Washington Sundar (62), helping India make a comeback with the bat. In a chat with The Cricket Monthly, Shardul revealed that Rohit Sharma helped him with ‘sign language’ communication from the dugout, helping him identify bowlers who were “tiring” and consequently assisting Shardul in changing his batting approach.

“Rohit was talking to me in sign language from the dugout. He would indicate when a bowler was tiring or coming to the end of his spell. Like, I think that happened when Hazlewood was coming to the end of a spell. Rohit asked me to wait and not push to play shots,” Shardul revealed.

The all-rounder also spoke in detail about his approach against Nathan Lyon, who had been in excellent form in the series. Shardul revealed that he took notes from how Cheteshwar Pujara had tackled Lyon in the previous Test, and used his footwork to negate the spinner's threat.

"In the previous Test I had seen how Cheteshwar Pujara had tackled Lyon in Sydney when the ball was turning square. He was using his feet a lot - stepping out but also going deep in his crease. And initially when I faced Lyon, I tried to stay deep in my crease, but I realised he could get me out if I got stuck there, with the tempting lines and lengths - you would attempt to push the ball towards cover and get a nick against a ball that turns in, and short leg comes into play.

“So I felt the best way was to use my feet. With the kind of field placement he had, I was trying to go on the off side when I stepped out against the turn. But that delivery was right in the slot [to go over long-on].”