3 recent Overseas Test matches that India should have won but didn't

'India and fourth innings collapses' has been a constant in Indian Cricket for some time now; Edgbaston was just another chapter in its fan's painful ordeal over a period of time.

But India won't have been there in the first place had it not for their captain's baptism with fire on the second afternoon of day 02.

After bowling England out for a seemingly sub-par 287 India got off to a reasonably good start with the openers putting on 50 runs for the first wicket when a 20-year-old Sam Curran in an incisive spell of swing bowling rattled the top-order. The ball had started to swing and 0-50 soon became 5-100 with Kohli left to save the blemishes for the tourists. Kohli's innings exemplifies defiance, grit, tenacity, and game-sense when batting with the tail.

Kohli finally finished with 149 taking India 13 runs adrift of England's first innings total, and when Ishant Sharma rattled the English middle-order to leave the hosts reeling at 7-96; India looked on course for a win. But, just as with the bowl, Sam Curran brought scripted yet another twist with the bat taking the lead past 190, and it was down to Kohli again, who scored yet another defiant 51 (200 runs in the match), as his batsmen floundered yet again against the moving ball; leaving Kohli and India 31-runs adrift of the target.

But, this phenomenon is not new in Indian cricket. In the past few years, we've seen Indian teams squander their position of strength time and again.

Today, we'll have a look at three recent overseas Test matches which India should've won but didn't.

#3 India vs New Zealand, Auckland, February 2014

India vs New Zealand, Auckland, February 2014

For a better part of the first four days, it seemed only New Zealand was competing. The hosts had just racked up 503, thanks to a whirlwind 307-ball-224 by skipper Brendon McCullum in their first innings and in return folded India for 202 to take a commanding lead of 301 runs.

But, things changed considerably on the fourth day as Shami (3-37), Zaheer Khan (2-23) and Ishant Sharma (3-28) produced an incisive spell of seam and swing bowling to bowl the Kiwis out for 105.

Despite losing Vijay (13) early, India started the run-chase positively in their second essay. Dhawan brought his first overseas century; a power packed yet patient 115, to stitch a 126-run partnership with Virat Kohli (67). But, Wagner, in a menacing spell of fast-bowling nipped out both Dhawan and Kohli to reduce the tourists to 6-270.

The tourists were buoyed by counter-attacking innings from both Jadeja (26) and Dhoni (39), but it was that man, Wagner, again who kept chipping away. The final nail in the coffin came when Wagner went wide on the crease, lulled Dhoni with a slower bouncer and his bottom-edge brought the off-bail down and eventually India's challenge; 40 runs adrift of what would have been a sensational win.

#2 India vs Australia, Adelaide Oval, 2014

Lyon- the match-winner at the Adelaide Oval

A Test match symbolic and special in many ways; if only India had won it to make it better. It was the coming of age of Virat Kohli- the Test batsman.

Last few months preceding the match had not been good for the young Indian maestro; Jimmy Anderson had just exposed a chink in his armour around the fourth stump in what turned out to be a disastrous tour that saw him scrap to 134 runs across ten innings.

Two months later, Kohli was leading his side for the very first time at the Adelaide Oval after MS Dhoni had pulled out due to injury. If the pressure of performing with the bat wasn't enough, Kohli found himself under the Kosh, as Australia racked up 550 in their first innings. Kohli came into bat at 2-90 and was greeted with a Mitchell Johnson bouncer right away. But as all champions do, Kohli responded with a sublime 115 to take India to a competitive 444.

Australia swelled their lead to 364 to have a crack at Kohli's men. But little had the Aussies imagined this was a different Indian side- Kohli's side; they'd go for a win rather than play for a draw and get rolled over by 150 runs. But the task was cut-out against a confident Nathan Lyon on a pitch that had started to turn prodigiously.

Vijay and Kohli played with grit, skills, and tenacity to carve out a 118-run partnership and at 2-242, looked well-nigh in control of the game. Kohli brought up his second hundred of the game, and unfortunately, Vijay faltered. He missed a straight ball from Lyon in an attempt to hammer it to mid-wicket and was adjudged LBW, and his expression said it all; after all the hard work he'd given the Aussies a sniff.

Kohli continued in his merry way striking the fast bowlers with disdain as Rahane (0) and Rohit (6) capitulated to the turning ball. India 5-277. Saha took the attack on Lyon with a six and a four but it brought about his undoing as he aimlessly ran down the wicket to a drifter from the off-spinner as Kohli watched from the other end- furious and disappointed by the way his batsmen have led him down.

But, Kohli was still there. And the Aussies knew the game was far from over. With little batting to come, Kohli went on the offensive and lambasted Lyon over deep midwicket with disdain. But the very shot brought about his and India's undoing. Kohli went for another strike over deep midwicket only to mistime it to Mitchell Marsh, and the dream for Kohli and India was broken as the tourists folded eventually for 315; 48 runs adrift of the target.

#1 India vs South Africa, Cape Town, 2018

Big Vern does it, again

The Proteas skipper, Faf du Plessis had promised of redemption prior to the series and the first day at Newlands proved every word of his, as the ball jagged around prodigiously both in the air and off the seam; the problem was it was South Africa's batsmen who were facing the music as Bhuvneshwar Kumar ripped through the top-3 to leave the hosts reeling at 3-12.

But AB de Villers was South Africa's men who stood tall on either side of Hardik Pandya's 95- the only contributor in India's rather insipid display (209 all-out) in the first innings, to help South Africa post a fighting total of 208 on a spicy Newlands' deck.

South Africa was without Dale Steyn in their second innings after he'd pulled up due to injury while bowling in the second innings, and when Indian openers in Vijay (13) and Dhawan (16) stitched a cautious 30-run stand, it looked India were on course for chasing down 209. But, then 'Big Vern' struck. 0-30 soon became 3-39 as Philander (6-42) with able support from Morne Morkel (2-39) and Rabada (2-41) ripped the heart out India's top-order. But, the pivotal moment in the game came when Virat Kohli (28) was pinned by Philander to give a match-defining blow to the visitors.

After Kohli's wicket, there was a sense of inevitability of what the result would be, and though R Ashwin (37) and B Kumar (13) tried valiantly, South Africa wrapped up the innings in a mere 42.4 overs, and India's dream of winning at Newlands was shattered, again.