Among the Indian supporters at the Gabba savouring from up close one of Indian cricket’s biggest days were Sagnik Guha, 24, and Arka Basu, 25. While Sagnik’s mother is from Sinthee, he was born in South Africa and migrated to Australia at the age of eight. Arka, born and raised Down Under, has roots in Ballygunge through his parents. But when it comes to cricket, both bleed Blue. The two friends share with Metro the action and the celebration.

Sagnik Guha

There were seven of us — four Bengalis, one Tamilian and two Australians. And all of us were supporting India!

We decided to go for the match at the end of Day 4. This was to be my first international match at the Gabba. Since I did not have an India shirt, I wore my South Africa jersey instead.

We could sit next to each other but the rows before and after us were blocked to ensure social distancing. Rohit Sharma was already out when I reached. But given how Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar had held ground in the first innings, we were not worried about a batting collapse. Truth be told, it was a draw that we were expecting. At the Gabba, you don’t expect a touring team to chase down a full strength Australian side’s score on the last day.

The Indians were chanting Bharat mata ki jai with such vigour that one of our Australian friends said he felt like he was at Eden Gardens! Yet, the crowd was so sporting that both good shots and good fielding got applauded.

We could spot the Bharat Army seated square of the wicket with a huge banner. They got increasingly noisy as Rishav Pant and his partners wore down the Aussie lead. With three to get, the crowd simply went crazy. A guy possibly had a beer too many and kept jumping. And when the victory lap was happening, many had tears in their eyes.

Indian supporters in the Brisbane galleries on Tuesday. AP/PTI

Arka Basu

I have been to the Gabba several times before but this is the first time that I saw India play a Test. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be!

While the first four days have price tickets, the last day is usually a gold coin donation day. This means one simply donates a one or two-dollar coin at the gate. They are the only two coins coloured gold in Australian currency. With me were two Australian friends with whom I play indoor cricket. We reached the stadium early. The souvenir stalls that sell flags, team shirts, bucket hats or scarves were missing this time. But I had my India shirt on. There were dholaks playing outside and people were dancing to the beat. It was a magical atmosphere.

We had an unbelievably good time. And when we were walking out for a celebration dinner, many Australians driving by rolled down their car windows to shout “Well done” to us. That felt nice.