3 Indian captains to win Test series in SENA countries in the 21st century

The Indians have traditionally been poor travellers as far as Test cricket is concerned, especially where conditions assist swing, pace and bounce. And after 86 years of Test cricket, there are still some lands left to be conquered by the Indian team.

However, India had their share of success, their moments of glory in the past. The recent series win in Australia was their sixth in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.

Three of them have come in the 21st century, under three different skippers in three different nations. Here we look at the three skippers under whom India have tasted series victories in the SENA countries in the 21st century.

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Rahul Dravid (in England, 2007)

Rahul Dravid managed to achieve a rare double, winning the Test series in West Indies and England, which only Ajit Wadekar did in 1970-71. The 1-0 series win in a three-match series in England was sandwiched between a disappointing World Cup debacle and a remarkable World Cup win in 2007.

Going into the series, India did possess a potent fast bowling attack and a formidable batting lineup, barring the opening woes. The first Test was a see-saw contest, with the game tilting the balance every session.

India succumbed to 201 in reply to England's 298. In the second innings, RP Singh's five-fer reduced England to 282, setting India a target of 380. Playing for a draw, India managed to escape, courtesy a superb fighting knock by Dhoni and rain-curtailed last session.

The second Test at Nottingham saw India dominate the English in every way possible. A disciplined bowling performance on the first morning stopped England for 198, in reply to which India posted 455 with five of the top six scoring fifties.

The second innings will be remembered for the Jelly Bean controversy, which spurred Zaheer to rattle the English lineup with a five-wicket haul. Chasing a target of 73, India reached the target with seven wickets in hand, with skipper Dravid scoring the winning runs.

The third Test at Lords saw yet another dominating display by the Indians. With a first innings score of 664, courtesy a brilliant hundred by Kumble, and a strokeful 92 by Dhoni, India ensured they outbatted England from the match as well as the series.

England finished with 345 on the board, and surprisingly India did not enforce the follow-on. More surprisingly, they showed no urgency in scoring as well and declared at 180/6. England managed to survive the 110 overs and finished with 369/6 as the match ended in a draw.

India lifted the trophy after 21 years on English soil. And for the first time in the 21st century India tasted victory in SENA countries.

MS Dhoni (in New Zealand, 2009)

Considered as the golden era of Indian cricket, the formidable batting line-up consisting of Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Sachin, VVS Laxman and Dhoni was a nightmare for most oppositions. India were in a rampaging form, in all forms of the game during the period. They went into the series with a 4-1 victory in the ODIs against the home side and were high on confidence.

New Zealand wanted to greet the visitors with a green track, something on which the Indians did have a few weaknesses. However, the move backfired as the hosts were down to 61/6 in the very first session of the series. Rearguard action from Ryder and Vettori saw NZ finish at 279. India replied with a mammoth 520, courtesy a superb ton by Sachin. Harbhajan's six wickets in the second innings ensured India needed just 39 runs to win, which India did with 10 wickets in hand.

The second Test saw a game-changing partnership between Ross Taylor (151) and Ryder (201) as NZ posted 619/9. India, without their regular skipper, managed 305 and were asked to follow-on. The second essay showed the character of the Indian batsmen, as they managed to grind out more than two complete days of play, scoring 476 for the loss of four wickets. A gritty knock from Gambhir, one of his best till date, along with the blockathon by Dravid and a late surge by Laxman ensured India maintained the 1-0 lead.

The third Test saw India post a score of 379, with handy contributions from most batsmen and more than useful knocks from the tail-enders. In reply, NZ could manage 197, courtesy a fifer from Zaheer. Another classy hundred from Gambhir helped India post 434/7 and NZ played for a draw. Despite a gutsy bowling performance, the match ended in a draw with NZ at 281/8, as rain halted India's march to victory.

The 1-0 victory was the first series victory for India in New Zealand after 39 years.

Virat Kohli (in Australia, 2018-19)

Virat Kohli's champions

Being touted by many as the favourites going into the series, probably the first time in history, Virat Kohli and co did exceptionally well to finally play to their potential and win the series after disappointing losses in South Africa and England last year.

Australia missing their regular skipper and his deputy did help the cause, but that does not take any credit away from the Indian team, who had a bowling lineup considered to be the best in the world at the moment.

India went into the series with a lot of confidence but had a number of issues as well. The out of form openers were a major concern, and the team combination which played a key role in India's loss in South Africa and England was an issue too. After winning the first Test at Adelaide, courtesy Pujara's century and a disciplined bowling attack, India once again faulted in the combination at Perth. India played with four pacers on a pitch where an Australian spinner won the player of the match.

With the series levelled, India went into Melbourne with a new opening combination, one who was playing his first international game and the other who was playing his third. After a gritty half-century by debutant Mayank, Pujara notched yet another crafty hundred as India declared at 443/7 on a difficult pitch.

Bumrah was then at his devastating best, skirting out Aussies for 151. India declared their second essay at 106/8, and convincingly defeated the home team despite the lone battle by Pat Cummins with both bat and ball.

The final Test at Sydney saw yet another gigantic score by India, much like the Melbourne Test, but this time the scoring rate was a lot faster. The rain-affected match, however, did not go in India's favour as only one session of play was possible in the final two days due to rain, with Australia being asked to follow-on for the first time since 2005, and the match ended in a draw.

With the 2-1 victory, India registered their maiden series win in Australia and Kohli became the first Indian skipper to achieve the feat.

South Africa remains the only country where India are yet to win a Test series. A draw in the 2010-11 series and the 2-1 loss in the 2018 series saw India come agonisingly close to break the shackles.

The series draws in England (2002), Australia (2003-04) under Ganguly and South Africa (2010-11) under Dhoni were also brilliant performances by the Indian team and deserve honourable mentions.