Five occasions when Indian team defied the odds to script an overseas Test win 

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Indians team have scripted some memorable wins

Ever since the Indian Cricket team played its first Test back in 1932, one thing has plagued the cricket frenzy nation, its inability to consistently perform overseas for the better part of seventy years.

A triumph in West Indies in 1971, series win in England (1986), notwithstanding, every Indian overseas tour till the 2000s was met with a sense inevitability by the reluctant Indian fans, with only individual performances to look forward too.

At the turn of the century, Indian cricket was in shambles. Following the match-fixing saga and with Sachin Tendulkar stepping down from captaincy after the home series loss to South Africa in early 2000, Sourav Ganguly was handed over the reins of the team.

His immediate task was to instill a winning attitude and aggression in the team that was vastly considered 'soft' on overseas tours.

On that note, let us today celebrate five such instances when the Indian team defied the odds and scripted a memorable overseas Test win.


#5 Australia vs. India, W.A.CA, Perth 2008

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India scripted a sensational heist at Perth in 2008

Over the course of the previous decade, India was the only team that consistently challenged the might of the Aussies. From the miraculous Eden Gardens heist to a Rahul Dravid classic at the Adelaide Oval, the rivalry was indeed a highlight for the better part of the 2000s.

In the 2007-08 Border Gavaskar Trophy, amidst the 'monkey-gate' scandal, a plethora of wrong umpiring decisions and a rampaging Australian squad in pursuit of their 17th consecutive Test win, India had their task cut out when they took on the Aussies in the 3rd Test at the WACA in Perth.

Trailing 0-2 in the series, India, powered by gritty batting displays from Rahul Dravid (93) and Sachin Tendulkar (71), posted a respectable 330 in the first innings.

An outstanding spell of swing bowling by the duo of RP Singh (4/68) and Irfan Pathan (2/63) helped India gain a significant first-innings lead of 118 runs.

That lead was further enhanced by a watchful 46 by night-watchman Irfan Pathan and yet another VVS Laxman second innings classic, whose knock ensured Australia needed to chase a world record 413 runs to win their 17th Test in a row.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey battled for two and a half hours, and not since Flintoff 2005 has any bowler made the Australian skipper look like such an amateur as Ishant Sharma did during his marathon nine-over spell.

He eventually got Ponting caught at slip to Dravid, and with Symonds (12) and Hussey (0) receiving lbw decisions, and Gilchrist (15) being bowled round his legs by Sehwag (2/24), the clock was ticking on Austalia's 16-match winning streak.

However, Mitchell Johnson (50) led the typical Australian fight, smacking the bowlers all around the WACA, especially Anil Kumble.

As he threatened to take the game away, Kumble turned to his fast bowlers, who quickly polished off the tail to hand India one of their most memorable wins overseas.

Match Stats

India 330 (Rahul Dravid 93, Mitchell Johnson 4/86) & 294 (VVS Laxman 79, Stuart Clarke 4/61) beat Australia 212 (Andrew Symonds 66, RP Singh 4/68) & 340 (Michael Clarke 81, Irfan Pathan 3/54) by 72 runs.

#4 England vs India, Lord's 2014

A green mamba awaited the Indians at Lords.
A green mamba awaited the Indians at Lords.

After failing to win a Test at Lord's for 28 years, India wasn't expected to do much better when England dished out a 'green mamba' in the second Test of the Investec Test series in 2014.

A defiant hundred by Ajinkya Rahane (103), diligently supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36) resurrected India's innings from 145/7 to a competitive 295 all out.

Bhuvi was once again the star with the ball in the first Innings as his 6/82 helped India restrict England to 319, despite Garry Ballance's hundred.

Trailing England by 24, India was once again on tender hooks at 123/4, leading England by a mere 98.

A resilient Vijay (95) and quick cameos from Ravindra Jadeja (68) and Bhuvneshwar (52) helped India set England 318 runs to win.

Subsequently, Sharma (7/74) compiled his magnum opus to bounce out England, scripting a glorious victory for India by 95 runs.

Match Stats:

India 295 (Ajinkya Rahane 103, James Anderson 4/60) & 342 (Murali Vijay 95, Ben Stokes 3/51) beat England 319 (Gary Ballance 110, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 6/82) & 223 (Joe Root 66, Ishant Sharma 7/74) by 95 runs.

#3 England vs India, Leeds 2002

The famed trio was at its menacing best in  Leeds
The famed trio was at its menacing best in Leeds

It was overcast conditions at Leeds, but Ganguly, the attacking captain that he was, decided to bat first, a decision visiting captains would seldom take on a damp pitch.

Batting first, India lost Sehwag (8) cheaply but then Sanjay Bangar (68) and Dravid (148) in an outstanding display of old-fashioned Test match batting created a platform on which Tendulkar (193) and Ganguly's (128) respective hundreds helped propel the tourists to a mammoth 628/8d.

England never really got going, with Michael Vaughan (61) and Alex Stewart (78) the only significant contributors as they folded for 273 all out.

Following on in their second innings, English Captain Nasser Hussain (110) with an outstanding hundred tried to delay the inevitable but with very little support from other batsmen, the duo of Kumble (4/66) and Harbhajan Singh (1/56) bowled the hosts out for 309, scripting a famous win (by an innings & 46 runs) for India.

Match Stats:

India d 8-628 (Sachin Tendulkar 193, Andrew Caddick 3/150) beat England 273 (Alex Stewart 78*, Harbhajan Singh 3/40) & 309 (Nasser Hussain 110, Anil Kumble 4/66) by an innings & 46 runs.

#2 Australia vs India, Adelaide 2003

Dravid's finest hour in Test Cricket
Dravid's finest hour in Test Cricket

Arguably India's best overseas win came at Adelaide in Steve Waugh's last series. Buoyed by Ponting's mammoth 242, Australia had India on the mat, reeling at 85/4 in response to their first innings total of 556.

But then, the horrors of Kolkata 2001 came back to haunt Steve Waugh and his team again as Dravid (233) and Laxman (148) reproduced their Eden Gardens magic in a marathon 303 run partnership.

India eventually finished at 523 all out, trailing Australia by 33 runs in the first innings. With just over five sessions left in the game, the match looked set for a draw.

But India's Ajit Agarkar (6/42), in an outstanding display of fast-medium seam and swing bowling coupled with a buoyant fielding effort, skittled out the Australians for a mere 196, leaving India with 233 runs to get to register their first Test win Down Under after 21 years.

Dravid (72) once again led the charge for India in the second innings, fittingly hitting the winning runs and subsequently completing his 300 runs in the match.

India won the game by four wickets and Dravid has duly adjudged the Man of the Match for scripting one of India's greatest Test win overseas.

Match Stats:

Australia 556 (Ricky Ponting 242, Anil Kumble 5/154) & 196 (Adam Gilchrist 43, Ajit Agarkar 6/41) lost to India 523 (Rahul Dravid 233, Andy Bichel 4/118) & 6-233 (Rahul Dravid 72*, Simon Katich 2/22) by 4 wickets.

#1 South Africa vs India, Johannesburg, 2018

India
India's baptism with fire

India added another chapter in their remarkable record at the Wanderers as they pulled off a memorable heist by defeating South Africa in the third Test at Johannesburg.

India overcame the stubborn resistance offered by Hashim Amla (52) and Dean Elgar (86) to wrap up a famous victory for the tourist, retaining their World No. 1 ranking in the process.

On a pitch termed from 'dangerous' to 'poor', Indian batsman turned up for the first time in this series.

Vijay (25) showed a glimpse of his former self by leaving a lot of balls outside the off stump, something we have seldom witnessed this series.

His partnership first with Rahul (16) in the closing moments of day two and then with Virat Kohli (41) after India had lost two early wickets in the first 45 minutes when the pitch was at its liveliest, ensured India stayed afloat. His wicket in the last over before lunch brought the game to parity.

But Rahane came out to bat after lunch as if to show what India has been missing throughout the series.

On a pitch where survival was endangered Rahane's counter-attack peg, South Africa, back considerably evident by the two consecutive drop catches in as many overs in the latter part of the session.

South Africa have themselves, not the pitch, to blame for bowling too short and too wide in the afternoon session mainly and underestimating India's batting resolve.

They have themselves, not the pitch, to blame for being unable to whitewash the Indian's they so desperately wanted to seek redemption for the 0-3 drubbing they received back in 2015.

Match Stats:

India 187 (Pujara 50, Kohli 54, Rabada 3-39) & 247 (Rahane 48, Morkel 3-47) beat South Africa 194 (Amla 61, Bumrah 5-54) & 177 (Elgar 86, Shami 5-28) by 63 runs.

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Edited by Alan John