Imagine this 👉 An overseas Test series.  A crushing defeat. 36 all out. In all probability, the world thought there was no chance of a comeback.

And then… you win the very next Test convincingly. Sounds dramatic? Almost unreal?

Well, that’s exactly how it unfolded. 💥

#OnThisDay five years ago, Indian cricket witnessed one of its finest comeback stories & a reminder that the game has a funny way of rewarding belief.

It began with heartbreak. India were bowled out for 36 in the first Test - the lowest total in the team’s Test history. Australia surged to a 1-0 lead & the narrative was already written by many. The series, they said, was done. A whitewash was inevitable.

The caravan moved to Melbourne for the iconic Boxing Day Test. And the noise only got louder. Doubts. Predictions. No belief (at least from the outside).

But inside that dressing room, things were different.

India took the field with two debutants stepping into the cauldron - Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. Ajinkya Rahane is leading the side. No captain from the previous Test. No excuses. Just quiet resolve.

And then came the response.

A captain’s knock in every sense. His sublime 112 in the first innings was about control, calm and conviction. It felt like his runs were answering the critics.

He found solid support in Ravindra Jadeja, whose handy contribution stitched together a crucial 121-run partnership. Momentum shifted. Slowly. Surely.

A captain’s knock from Rahane with some stellar support from Jadeja puts India on 🔝 at the end of Day Two 👌#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AUSvIND @ajinkyarahane88 @BCCI pic.twitter.com/BTdHiKUf21

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 27, 2020

And with the ball? Our very own BOOM BOOM turned up the heat. 🔥 Jasprit Bumrah led the attack with figures of 4/56 and 2/54, asking questions, applying pressure and refusing to let Australia settle.

Four days. That’s all it took. India defeated Australia by 8 wickets, levelling the series 1-1 and flipping the script entirely. From 36 all out to total dominance. From written-off to written-in-history.

Even today, that Melbourne Test stands tall! Not just as a win, but as a mindset.

Because if there’s one thing cricket (and life) keeps teaching us, it’s this: COMEBACKS > SETBACKS. ✨