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International cricket is all set to resume in India, following the COVID-19-enforced break. England are scheduled to play four Tests against Team India, with the first set to start in Chennai from February 5.
The second Test will also be held in Chennai, while the remaining two matches will be played at the reconstructed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. The third Test of the series will be a day-night encounter, only the second pink-ball Test to be played in India.
While the first Test will be played behind closed doors, 50 percent crowd has been allowed for the second Test. It has been confirmed that the Motera Tests will have 50 percent fan presence as well.
India versus England Test record
India and England have faced each other in 122 Tests, with the former winning 26 and losing 47. At home, India have registered 19 wins in 60 matches. As the teams get set to resume their rivalry, we look back at some of India’s most famous wins against England in the longest format.
#1 The Oval (1971)
1971 was an incredible year for Indian cricket. They beat both West Indies and England away from home.
The triumph in England was registered, following a four-wicket victory at the Oval in August 1971. England batted first and put up a credible 355 on the board. Alan Knott top-scored with 90, while John Jameson and Richard Hutton made 82 and 81 respectively.
In response, India managed only 284 as Ray Illingworth picked up 5 for 70. It was England’s second innings that completely turned the game around. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar picked up 6 for 38 as the hosts were rolled over for 101.
With his smart leg-spin bowling, Chandrasekhar sent back Brian Luckhurst, John Edrich, and Keith Fletcher before returning to clean up the tail.
India needed 173 for victory. Despite losing Sunil Gavaskar for a duck, the visitors won the contest. Skipper Ajit Wadekar made 45, while Dilip Sardesai 40, and Gundappa Viswanath chipped in with 40 and 33 respectively.
#2 Lord’s (1986)
Regarded as one of India’s finest away wins, the visitors overcame a strong English outfit by five wickets in the Lord’s Test of 1986.
Having decided to field first after winning the toss, India restricted the hosts to 294, despite Graham Gooch’s 114. Current chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma was the pick of India’s bowlers with 5 for 64. Roger Binny also impressed with three wickets.
India replied with a solid 341. Dilip Vengsarkar, whose love for Lord’s is legendary, caressed a classy 126 not out. Mohinder Amarnath also contributed a gritty 69.
Skipper Kapil Dev ran through England’s top-order in the second innings, dismissing Gooch (8), Tim Robinson (11), and England captain David Gower (8).
England crumbled to 35 for 3 and were eventually bowled out for 180. Kapil finished with 4 for 52, while Maninder Singh was exceptional with his 3 for 9 in 20.4 overs, including 12 maidens.
India needed only 134 for victory, and got home by five wickets.
#3 Leeds (2002)
India have rarely dominated an away Test match in the manner they did in Leeds in 2002, eventually thumping England by an innings and 46 runs.
India decided to bat first after winning the toss, and posted an imposing 628 for 8 declared. After Virender Sehwag fell for a single-figure score, Sanjay Bangar and Rahul Dravid featured in a second-wicket stand of 170.
The duo wore down the England attack comprising of Matthew Hoggard, Andy Caddick, Andrew Flintoff, and Ashley Giles, and set the platform for the middle-order to dominate.
After Bangar’s vigil ended on 68 off 236 balls, Dravid (148), Sachin Tendulkar (193), and Sourav Ganguly (128) all slammed hundreds as Team India posted an imposing first-innings total.
The England batting crumbled under pressure. Only Alec Stewart (78 not out) and Michael Vaughan (61) managed to cross the half-century mark as the hosts were all-out for 273. For India, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up three wickets each, while Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar chipped in with two apiece.
Following on, England managed 309 in their second innings. Nasser Hussain’s 110 was not enough for the hosts to avoid an innings defeat. Kumble once again starred for India with four wickets, including the scalp of Hussain.
#4 Chennai 2008
Coming in the wake of the gruesome 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the Chennai win against England holds great sentimental value for Team India.
Batting first, England were restricted to 316, despite Andrew Strauss’ 123 as Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra picked up three scalps each.
England, however, hit back hard with the ball, restricting a strong Indian batting line-up to 241. Andrew Flintoff and Monty Panesar claimed three each as only MS Dhoni (53) scored a half-century for the hosts.
Strauss’ second hundred of the match, and Paul Collingwood’s 108 left Team India with a highly challenging chase of 387. A draw or victory for England seemed the two likely options.
However, Virender Sehwag was thinking on different lines. He came in and started spanking the England bowlers all over Chepauk. He had blazed away to 83 from 68 when he was trapped lbw by Graeme Swann.
Gautam Gambhir scored 66, but it was the unbeaten fourth wicket stand of 163 between Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh which helped Team India script a famous win.
Tendulkar was unbeaten on 103, while Yuvraj made a scintillating 85 not out. England’s bowlers were caught off guard by India’s aggressive approach, particularly Sehwag at the top of the innings.
#5 Mumbai (2016)
Team India dominated England during the 2016-17 series. England batted first in Mumbai and posted an impressive 400 as Keaton Jennings hit 112 and Jos Buttler scored 76.
So confident were India though, they eased their way to 631 in response. Skipper Virat Kohli led the way for the hosts with a dominating double hundred.
Kohli hit a magnificent 235 off 340 balls, including 25 fours and a six. Murali Vijay (136) and Jayant Yadav (104) also scored hundreds as India posted a massive score on the board.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who had claimed six wickets in the first innings, added another six in the second as England were cleaned up for 195.
Joe Root top-scored with 77 in England’s second innings, but it not enough to prevent an innings defeat for the visitors.
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