India’s five biggest victories away from home (by runs)

The Indian team has been, in the past, associated with the tag of poor travellers abroad, due to their ineffectiveness to force out wins on foreign soil. Although India played their first Test in 1932, it took them almost four decades to register their first win abroad. Since then, India has grown from strength to strength, and the present team looks like a potent side with enough arsenal to compete against the best in their own backyard.

Here is a list of India’s wins in terms of runs, outside their own den:

#5 237 runs, vs West Indies, Gros Islet (2016)

This was the first time that India won more than one Test in a series in the Caribbean.

Already one-up in the four-match series, India inflicted a thumping defeat on the hosts, courtesy a huge stand between Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha for the sixth wicket and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s sublime swing bowling. With India reeling at 126-5, the duo of Ashwin and Saha dug in, scored centuries, and helped the visitors take their first innings score past 350.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar then wreaked havoc with the second new ball, as the hosts lost their last seven wickets for a mere 23 runs.

The visitors compiled quick runs in their next innings, and set the West Indies a target of 346 runs, with 87 overs in the last day to play out a draw. However, apart from Darren Bravo (59), none of the batsmen could stay put for long, as a dismal performance saw them get bowled out for 108.

#4 272 runs, vs New Zealand, Eden Park (1968)

The 1968 victory was India’s first victory overseas.

In a rain-marred Test match, the Indians were asked to bat by the Black Caps, and despite a stuttering start, managed 252 in the first innings, which, due to constant rain-breaks, stretched till the third day. The reply was not at all inspiring, with the hosts, playing on a damp pitch, crumbled for a mere 140.

Helped by Rusi Surti’s 99 and Chandu Borde’s 65, India batted till the morning of the fifth day, to give the hosts around five hours to make 374.

However, their batting could not put up a fight in the face of a testing period of spin by the Indians, especially Erapalli Prasanna, who picked up four wickets to bundle New Zealand for 101, just after Tea.

#3 278 runs, vs Sri Lanka, P Sara Oval (2015)

This was Virat Kohli’s first win as Test captain.

KL Rahul, playing in only his fourth Test, got to his second Test century to help India stack up 393 runs in the first innings. The Sri Lankan skipper, Angelo Mathews, gave a resounding reply with his sixth Test ton, but India still managed to eke out an 87 run lead.

Ajinkya Rahane, with his fourth Test hundred, and in the company of Murali Vijay, helped the visitors declare the innings on 325 to give the hosts a target of 413.

Ravichandran Ashwin then spun a web around the Sri Lankan batsmen and was well assisted by his spin partner, Amit Mishra, as the last eight wickets fell for 62 runs to give Virat Kohli his first win as Indian captain. India won the series 2-1.

This was also Kumar Sangakkara’s last Test.

#2 279 runs, vs England, Leeds (1986)

Dilip Vengsarkar scored 61 and 102 in the Test.

Playing without both Ian Botham and David Gower, the English team recalled the 37-year old John Lever, and gave a debut to keeper Bruce Fench. However, the team lacked the spite to trouble the Indian team, who extracted their biggest defeat in terms of runs, a record that stands till date.

Batting first, India scored a sedate 272, riding on Dilip Vengsarkar’s 61. With Chetan Sharma injured, Madan Lal shared the new ball with Kapil Dev. However, it was the medium pace of Roger Binny that did the maximum damage, who picked up one of his five-wicket hauls in his career, as the hosts were bundled out for just 102.

In the second innings, the 37-year-old Lever bowled testing lines, but a lone-hand from Dilip Vengsarkar, who remained unbeaten on 102, helped India post 237, setting the hosts a target of 408.

The response was as feeble as the first one, with Maninder Singh coming into his own this time, swooping the lower half of the batting line-up that was dented at the top by Kapil Dev and Binny. Six wickets fell for 90 runs, and the hosts folded for 128.

#1 304 runs, vs Sri Lanka, Galle (2017)

Virat Kohli led the side to a crushing 304 run win over Sri Lanka in 2017

In Ravi Shastri’s maiden assignment as Team India’s head coach, Virat Kohli’s side inflicted a crushing defeat on the hosts, their first 300+ run victory outside home. Riding on comeback man Shikhar Dhawan’s career-best 190, India stacked up 600 in the first innings. The Sri Lankan side, hampered further by illness and injury, could manage only 291 in the first innings, crumbling in the face of a sustained Indian attack.

In the second innings, Virat Kohli shook off a minor rut in his Test form by compiling his 17^th Test century, also becoming the fastest Indian captain to score 1000 runs away from home. Helped along by under-fire Abhinav Mukund’s half century, the Indian team assembled a target that was out of reach of the hosts. In the end, despite Dimuth Karunaratne’s valiant efforts, the side could not manage even 300, tumbling to their biggest Test defeat.