7 iconic shows by an Indian at Trent Bridge

2011: Rahul Dravid stands tall amid the ruins

Rahul Dravid en route to his fourth hundred in England.

From 124 for eight, England recovered to 221, courtesy of Stuart Broad’s counterattacking 64. An injured Gautam Gambhir meant Rahul Dravid, at 39, would be India’s makeshift opener in his last tour to the country. He kept India’s chances afloat by countering a tail-up Broad with his fourth hundred in the country.

Dravid could have gone on and built on the innings but he ran out of partners and lost his wicket in a bid for quick runs. India did manage the lead, but England batted exceptionally in the second innings to nullify India’s chances.

The Test is best remembered for the Ian Bell run-out incident where India recalled the batsman after Tea, which earned MS Dhoni much praise but cost them the match. India lost the series 0-4 and also lost their No.1 Test ranking as well.

Brief scores:

England 221 (Stuart Broad 64; Praveen Kumar 3/45, Ishant Sharma 3/66, Sreesanth 3/77) & 554 (Ian Bell 159, Kevin Pietersen 63, Eoin Morgan 70, Matt Prior 73, Tim Bresnan 90, Stuart Broad 44; Praveen Kumar 4/124) beat India 288 (Rahul Dravid 117, VVS Laxman 54, Yuvraj Singh 62; Stuart 6/46) & 158 (Sachin Tendulkar 56, Harbhajan Singh 46; James Anderson 3/51, Tim Bresnan 5/48) by 319 runs

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2014: Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s toil

Bhuvi was the best player in the 2014 Trent Bridge Test.

The 2014 series between the sides started on a “poor wicket” as termed by the ICC. The pitch was so flat that both the side’s No.11’s – Mohammed Shami and James Anderson – registered their maiden Test fifties. They haven’t scored another ever since.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar even scored his maiden Test fifty on the surface and shared a 111-run 10-wicket stand with Shami. But it’s with the ball that Bhuvi made the headlines. He managed to garner some movement on a dead surface and picked up the only five-for in the Test. No other bowler even took a four-four as the Test ended in a draw. Bhuvi scored another fifty in the second innings of the Test.

Kumar starred in India’s Lord’s Test win. Despite a 1-0 lead, they squandered the advantage and lost the series 1-3. Bhuvi, however, remained one of the shining points from an otherwise disappointing tour.

Brief scores:

India 457 (Murali Vijay 146, MS Dhoni 82, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 58, Mohammed Shami 51; James Anderson 3/123) & 391 for 9 (Murali Vijay 52, Cheteshwar Pujara 55, Stuart Binny 78, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 63*; Moeen Ali 3/105) drew with England 496 (Sam Robson 59, Gary Balance 71, Joe Root 154*, Stuart Broad 47, James Anderson 81; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5/82, Ishant Sharma 3/150)

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2018: Virat Kohli wipes out the 2014 horrors

Virat Kohli hammers a hundred.

Virat Kohli had a horrific England tour in 2014, with James Anderson making him his bunny. There were questions asked about his ability to counter outswing. Kohli returned home and worked with Tendulkar on his technique.

While he kept piling runs across the world, he was determined to make it count in England in 2018, and as most great athletes do, Kohli managed to turn the tables. His 149 and 51 couldn’t prevent an India defeat at Birmingham. He had an off game at Lord’s, and now with 0-2 down, India had to win at Trent Bridge to keep the series alive.

Kohli’s 97 in the first innings helped India to a decent total. In the second innings, he ensured the target was sizeable courtesy of a hundred – his second in England. The hosts then encountered a dangerous Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled India to a memorable victory.

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2018: Hardik Pandya’s rise as an all-rounder

Hardik Pandya was one of the stars in India's Trent Bridge win.

If Kohli’s batting ensured India a good score, it was Hardik Pandya who ran through the English line-up in no time. At 86 for three after 24 overs, England looked in decent space trying to build an innings when Hardik removed Joe Root. He bowled just six overs and went at almost five an over but picked up five wickets that ensured India a 168-run first-innings lead.

Later in the second innings, Hardik slammed a run-a-ball 52 not out to maximize the lead in no time. His role wasn’t over yet. While the frontline bowlers attacked more in the second innings, Hardik did the job of containing and bowling very light lines and lengths. The buzz for the summer was on his counterpart Ben Stokes, but Hardik had his moment under the sun by dismissing the England all-rounder with the new ball to bring India to the brink of a famous win. India eventually sealed the Test in the first session of the final day.

Brief scores:

India 329 (Virat Kohli 97, Ajinkya Rahane 81; James Anderson 3/64, Stuart Broad 3/72, Chris Woakes 3/75) & 352/7 (Shikhar Dhawan 44, Cheteshwar Pujara 72, Virat Kohli 103, Hardik Pandya 52*) beat England 161 (Hardik Pandya 5/28) & 317 (Ben Stokes 62, Jos Buttler 106; Jasprit Bumrah 5/85) by 203 runs