Rishabh Pant's brilliant 89* helped India win the Gabba Test in 2021 by 3 wickets.
India entered the series decider in Brisbane without several important players, but managed to pull off the unbelievable, winning their second consecutive Test series in Australia.
When asked to select his favorite match of his career, Rohit mentioned the Gabba match, applauding Rishabh Pant for his outstanding performance. Rohit also claimed that the Indian players were unhappy with the statements made by then-Australia skipper Tim Paine ahead of the historic encounter in Brisbane.
"And then in 2021, we won a Test match at the Gabba. Our Rishabh Pant bhai played an amazing knock from a situation where nobody could believe, we could win. In that game, all our first-choice players were injured or missed out for whatever reason. Australian captain Tim Paine said something, but I don't remember what he said. But we felt, Why did he say that?. When the match started, we had three debutants. Australia is the Gabba Fortress; they have never been beaten there. We were the first team," Rohit said at an event in Gurugram.
For the uninitiated, after India rallied to draw the third Test in Sydney, Paine's stump-mic remark went viral, warning the visitors of Australia's great record in Brisbane.
'See you at the Gabba,' Paine was heard as saying on the stump mic.
Rohit also lauded the team's fighting spirit, despite some key players missing the game due to injuries. Gabba Test saw T Natarajan and Washington Sundar making their Test debuts and Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj leading the pace attack.
"From a nowhere situation, we went on to win the game. Test cricket is not easy. It goes on for five days. For five days, you have to be mentally be in the game," he added.
Rohit Sharma himself had played the last two Tests of the series, having recovered from an injury.