The GOAT of Cricket

*The Gabba, Brisbane | January 4, 2017 | Day 1 – 3rd Test*

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**Scene: Brisbane Dawn – Gabba Wakes**

They call it the *Fortress*.

The Gabba had not witnessed an Australian defeat in over **28 years**. Its concrete walls hummed with the swagger of history, its pitch a spring-loaded trampoline under the Queensland sun. Every crack and blade of grass whispered a warning: *You don't win here.*

As India walked into the cauldron, Brisbane responded with its full voice. Flags waved, beer spilled, and from the Red Hill stands came the first chant of the day:

> "**Hey Ishaan, Adelaide called—wants its fluke back!**"

Ishaan Verma didn't look up. Didn't blink. Just pressed the edge of his bat onto the turf and drew a deep breath.

**Inner Monologue:**

> *Let them chant. Let the fortress breathe fire. I came to outlast the siege.*

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**Scene: Toss – India Bat First**

Kohli flipped the coin. Smith called wrong.

"We bat," Virat said with quiet certainty.

"This pitch will quicken by lunch," said Harsha Bhogle in the box. "India will need grit. And Gabba demands more than runs—it demands courage."

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**Opening Pair: Rahul & Vijay**

Starc and Hazlewood opened proceedings. The new ball fizzed like soda. Australia started with aggression, pace, and chin music.

**Over 7.2 – Starc to Vijay**

Short ball. Vijay fends. Ball lobs—**caught at short leg!**

**India: 21/1**

And so it began.

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**Over 8.1 – Cummins to Verma**

He marked center. The crowd volume swelled. This wasn't Adelaide. This wasn't Melbourne. This was *enemy territory*.

**Stump Mic (Cummins):**

> "Welcome to the Gabba, rookie."

**Commentary (Simon Doull):**

> "The crowd is on edge, Cummins is on fire, and Verma... well, he's walking into a lion's den."

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### **Ball-by-Ball – First Spell**

**Over 8.1 – Cummins to Verma**

Short, rising. Ishaan ducks. No run.

**Over 8.2**

Full, angled in. Defended tightly.

**Over 8.4**

Bouncer! Ishaan sways, crowd roars.

**Over 8.5**

Short again. Ishaan stands tall—nudges into the leg side. **Single.**

**Crowd Chant:**

> "Ooooone run! That's all he'll get!"

**Ishaan (Inner Monologue):**

> *Make them wait. Let every run feel earned.*

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**Overs 9 to 20 – Survival Mode**

Hazlewood beat the bat.

Cummins targeted the ribs.

Lyon came early, using footmarks and bounce.

Ishaan blocked. Swerved. Watched.

**Score: India 51/2**

Ishaan: 13\* off 44 balls

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**Drinks – 1st Session**

In the dugout, Dhoni offered water and a line:

**Dhoni:** "You're not here to impress. You're here to endure."

**Ishaan nodded:** "I'm not leaving till they get tired."

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**Over 22.3 – Starc to Verma**

Wide half-volley. Ishaan leans in.

**DRIVES. Four through covers.**

**Commentary (Harsha):**

> "Finally, a release! Verma opens the blade. But he's picking his moments like a surgeon."

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### **Lunch: India 82/2**

Ishaan: 28\* (73 balls)

Kohli: 31\*

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**Afternoon Session – The Heat Rises**

The Brisbane sun was merciless. The pitch baked. Bounce steepened. Cummins returned, eyes flint-hard.

**Over 32.1 – Cummins to Verma**

Short! Ishaan hooks! **Misses.**

**Crowd Roar:** "OOOHHH!"

**Stump Mic (Cummins):**

> "Hook me again, I dare you."

**Over 32.3 – Cummins to Verma**

Full, on off. Ishaan defends.

**32.4**

Short again. Ishaan ducks. Smiles.

**Stump Mic:**

> "That all you got?"

**Over 34.6 – Lyon to Verma**

Flighted. Ishaan steps forward, pushes softly. Two runs.

**India: 111/2**

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**Over 40.5 – Starc to Verma**

Overpitched. Ishaan flicks. **FOUR.**

**Applause grows. The Gabba murmurs.**

**Commentary (Simon Doull):**

> "He's rewriting what stubbornness looks like. It's not just stonewalling. It's calculated resistance."

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**Tea: India 149/2**

Kohli: 59\*

Ishaan: 47\* (137 balls)

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**Final Session – Closing In**

The crowd tried every trick. Booing. Mock cheers. Old replays of his Adelaide dismissal on the big screen.

**Over 52.2 – Hazlewood to Verma**

Length ball. Clipped through square. **Single.**

**Ishaan moves to 49.**

**Over 54.1 – Lyon to Verma**

Tossed up. Ishaan drives.

**FOUR.**

**Fifty for Verma.**

He raised his bat with barely a smile.

**Stump Mic (Kohli):** "You love pissing off crowds, don't you?"

**Ishaan (grinning):** "It helps when you piss off bowlers first."

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**Over 61.4 – Cummins to Verma**

Bouncer. Ishaan ducks. That was 146 kph.

**Over 62.3 – Cummins to Verma**

Good length. Edged! Drops just short of slip.

**Crowd:** "YEEAAAHHH... ohhhh!"

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**Stumps: India 201/2**

* Kohli: 87\*

* Ishaan Verma: **58* (189 balls)*\*

The sun dipped behind the Gabba roofline. Ishaan removed his helmet. Sweat-soaked, bat heavy, eyes clear.

**Commentary (Harsha):**

> "He hasn't dominated. He hasn't dazzled. But Ishaan Verma has *weathered* the Gabba. And sometimes, that is the only way to win a war."

**Inner Monologue:**

> *They came for fireworks. I gave them fortitude.*

> *This fortress doesn't fall in a day. But it can be breached.*

**End of Day 1.**