5 heartbreaking Test losses for India where they failed to build on crucial moments

Test Cricket, indeed a reflection of life, is a great leveler. From overwhelming highs to soul-crushing lows it keeps its players as well as their loyalists firmly grounded.

It is all about seizing the sub-plots that Test cricket offers, Indian Cricket in its 519 Test match history has had many such moments of agony and despair, where they have failed to capitalize on crucial moments resulting in heartbreaking losses. A familiar story was repeated in the ongoing Freedom Trophy, As India failed to seize the key moments, and capitulated to yet another heart-wrenching loss at the hands of South Africa.

Let us turn back the clock and look at five such heartbreaking defeats the Men in Blue has witnessed over a period of time.

#5 New Zealand vs India,2014

Following a 0-4 rout in the One-day series, India headed to Auckland for the first of the two-Test match series, aiming to reverse their overseas slump. They looked dead and buried when they capitulated to 202 all out in response to New Zealand's first innings total of 503, powered by skipper Brendon McCullum's (224) glittering double hundred. Young Kane Williamson, batting at No.3, gave a glimpse into the future by compiling a sublime 113. Ishant Sharma (6/134), albeit expensive, was the pick of India's bowlers in the first innings, but the New Zealand bowlers were far more lethal.

However, the Indian batsmen, barring Rohit Sharma (72) couldn't handle the seam and bounce, putting in a rather insipid batting performance.

Having taken a 303 run lead in the first innings, Brendon McCullum did not enforce the follow-on, a decision he would regret the remainder of the match. India's fast bowlers brought India back into the game as the trio of Ishant Sharma (3/28), Zaheer Khan (2/23) and Mohammed Shami (3/37) bowled the hosts out for 105.

India needed to create history by chasing the highest ever 4th innings total of 406, and at 2/221, they looked well on course to accomplish that. Shikhar Dhawan (115) and Virat Kohli (67) in their 126 run stand threatened to defy New Zealand until Wagner (4/62) ousted Kohli. The dismissal of Kohli triggered a mini collapse as Rohit Sharma (19) and Ajinkya Rahane (18) fell cheaply.

MS Dhoni (39) and Ravindra Jadeja (28) raised hopes for fan but some reckless batting and even more incisive bowling from the Kiwis left India 40 runs short of history.

New Zealand 503 (Brendon McCullum 224, Ishant Sharma 6/134) & 105 ( Ross Taylor 41, Ishant Sharma 3/28) beat India 202 ( Rohit Sharma 72, Neil Wagner 4/64) & 366 ( Shikhar Dhawan 115, Neil Wagner 4/62) by 40 runs.

#4 Australia vs India, Adelaide 2014

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It was Virat Kohli's first match as India's captain and it gave us a glimpse of what the future had in store for Team India. Despite Virat Kohli's magical 115 that helped India to a respectable 444 in response to Australia's mammoth 7/517 in the first innings, India was never really in the game for the better part of the match. In a bid to enforce a result, Australia, thanks to David Warner (102), who got his 2nd hundred of the game set India 363 runs to win on the 5th day Adelaide pitch that had shown considerable signs of wear and turn.

But, Inspired by their captain's aggression, India went for the chase, and at 2/242 with Virat Kohli (141) and Murali Vijay (99), the tourists looked firmly on control. But as they say, "the great Indian Batting Collapse is always round the corner", and the same happened when Nathan Lyon (7/152) trapped Vijay (99) lbw. 2/242 soon became 4/242 as Rohit Sharma (6) and Ajinkya Rahane (0) fell in quick succession.

Kohli completed a sublime hundred, but due to some insipid batting by India's lower middle order didn't get any significant support from the other end. He finally got holed out to deep midwicket at the hands of Nathan Lyon. India's hopes of what would have been a famous win were dashed as they got bowled out for 315, 48 runs adrift of the target.

Australia 517/7d (David Warner 145, Mohammed Shami 2/120) & 290/5d (David Warner 102, Karn Sharma 2/95) beat India 444 (Virat Kohli 115, Nathan Lyon 5/134) & 315 (Virat Kohli 141, Nathan Lyon 7/152) by 48 runs.

#3 South Africa vs India, Cape Town 2018

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It was billed as a fight between the World's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked sides of Test cricket. It was a contest that had its subplots dating back to South Africa's infamous tour of India in 2015. South Africa had redemption on their mind, and a victory would go a long way in healing the scars India had inflicted on them.

They made their intentions pretty clear by dishing out a lively track at Newlands and selecting a fearsome four-man pace attack.

India had their chances, especially when they reduced South Africa to 3/12 after the hosts had decided to bat first. But the genius of AB de Villiers (65) aided by moody line-lengths by the fast bowlers coupled with dropped catches helped South Africa post a respectable 286 in the first innings.

India at 7/92 hampered by bizarre team selections and reckless shots against the face-quartet didn't even look to avoid the follow-on. However, Hardik Pandya (95) albeit a bit of luck counterattacked the Proteas and kept India in the game as the tourists were finally bowled out for 209, trailing South Africa by 77 runs.

Pandya then plucked away with the bowl as he prized out both Proteas Openers in the closing moments of day 2. Persistent rain meant the third day was washed out, Indian bowlers bought India roaring back into the game on the 4th morning as they bundled out South Africa for a mere 130, setting up a 208 run-chase, India's best chance to get a series lead overseas.

But the great Indian collapse happened for the second time in the match, and with Pandya not being able to replicate his first innings heroics, the visitors capitulated to a 135 all out, thus blowing their best chance away to win in South Africa.

South Africa 286 (AB de Villiers 65, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/87) & 130 (AB de Villiers 35, M.Shami 3/28) beat India 209 (Hardik Pandya 95, Kagiso Rabada 3/34) & 135 ( Ravichandran Ashwin 37, Vernon Philander 6/42) by 72 runs.

#2 West Indies vs India, Barbados 1997

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Those were the days when an Indian win hinged on how one man performed. That man was India's skipper, the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. And those credentials were further established when in his failure, India failed to chase down a poultry 120 runs on a Kennington oval pitch which had considerable patches of grass aiding pace and Bounce to the point of treacherous, coupled with prodigious lateral movement off the seam. "The pitch is a killer", reckoned Geoffrey Boycott on air as India's opener Navjot Singh Sidhu got out to an unplayable ball from Franklyn Rose. The ball had nipped back in with prodigious bounce, offering a simple catch to slip.

At 2/16, in walked Tendulkar, with hopes of a billion hinged on his shoulders. Tendulkar had asserted his author early in the game when he compiled an outstanding 92 helping India post 319 in reply to West Indies first innings total of 298, thanks to Shiv Narine Chanderpaul's magnificent 137. Tendulkar had VVS Laxman (19) for a company who surprisingly looked more at ease against Ambrose (3/36), cutting and pulling ferociously than Rose (3/19) who eventually bowled him with an absolute 'Jaffer'.

However, the match-defining moment came when the little champion Sachin Tendulkar, poked at a seemingly innocuous delivery from Ian Bishop (4/22) wide of the off stump. Tendulkar went for a mere 4 and with him went India's hopes too as they were bowled out for an embarrassing 81, 38 runs adrift of the target.

The day that had started with India standing at the brink of their first win in the Carribean since their 404 run chase at Port of Spain, 1976 ended in anguish and agony of yet another overseas defeat.

West Indies 298 (Shiv Naraine Chanderpaul 137, Venkatesh Prasad 5/82) & 140 (Brian Lara 45, A.Kuruvilla 5/68) beat India 319 (Sachin Tendulkar 92, Franklyn Rose 4/77) & 81 (VVS Laxman 19, Ian Bishop 4/22) by 38 runs.

#1 India vs Pakistan, Chennai 1999

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For an Indian cricket fan growing up in the 80s and 90s, the loss against Pakistan at Chennai in 1999 ranks as one the most heartbreaking moments in modern cricket history. A heartbreak as big as India's 2007 Cricket World Cup loss to Bangladesh. It was perhaps more than that, simply because the insatiable desire to win of one man had been denied by ten other men's insipid performance that fateful day.

India was hosting Pakistan for a two-match Test series in January of 1999. Pakistan, batting first were struggling at 5/91, but Mohammed Yousuf (53) and Moin Khan (60) gritty knocks helped Pakistan post 238 in the first Innings. Anil Kumble (6/70) was the pick of India's bowlers.

India had a decent start to their innings with the openers putting a 67 run stand. 1/67 soon became 3/72 one of them being Sachin Tendulkar (0) for a duck against Saqlain Mushtaq (5/94). Ganguly (54) and Dravid (53) led India's recovery and helped get a 16 run lead over their arch-rivals. Buoyed by Shahid Afridi's brilliant 141, Pakistan set India 271 runs in the fourth Innings to win the game. At 5/82, it didn't look like India would get anywhere close to the target.

But with Tendulkar still their, the Pakistanis knew the match wasn't over yet.And it wasn't, Tendulkar's (137) single-handed effort on a wearing 5th day Chennai track was a stuff of genius and perfection. Severely hampered by back spasm Tendulkar's innings epitomized his perseverance, skills, temperament and more importantly the will to win in all situations.

Tendulkar did his job that day, leaving just 17 runs to get when he finally got out but unfortunately his teammates couldn't as India lost its last 3 wickets for a mere 4 runs, losing the match by 12 runs.It was a game of blood and tears, perhaps the greatest innings and the saddest tragedy of Sachin Tendulkar's career.

Pakistan 238 (Moin Khan 60, Anil Kumble 6/70) & 286 (Shahid Afridi 141, Venkatesh Prasad 6/33) beat India 254 (Sourav Ganguly 54, Saqlain Mushtaq 5/94) & 258 (Sachin Tendulkar 136, Saqlain Mushtaq 5/93) by 12 runs.

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Edited by Anuradha Santhanam