IND vs ENG 2021: Stellar shows from 10 memorable India-England Tests at Lord’s

1990: Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev entertain

Mohammad Azharuddin on song at Lord's, 1990.

In what was a forgettable outing for India. Graham Gooch put pressure on the visitors by piling up most runs in a Test. Then-Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin rose to the occasion, exhibited tremendous wrist-work and slammed a splendid century. His 121 came off just 111 balls. The innings also saw Kapil smash four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings to help India save following on.

Brief scores

England 653 for 4 dec. (Graham Gooch 333, Allan Lamb 139, Robin Smith 100*) & 272/4 dec. (Graham Gooch 123, Mike Atherton 72) beat India 454 (Ravi Shastri 100, Mohammad Azharuddin 121, Kapil Dev 77*; Angus Fraser 5/104) & 224 (Angus Fraser 3/39) by 247 runs

---

1996: Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid mark a new era in Indian cricket

Sourav Ganguly celebrates his century on Test debut.

The 1996 Lord’s Test marked a new era in Indian cricket as it introduced two future megastars. Having lost the first Test at Birmingham, India had to win or save the Lord’s Test to stay alive in the series. The chances were slim, thanks to the green-top surface and India’s form. Less than a week back, they had lost a first-class game against Derbyshire.

India handed two caps in the Test, both of whom shone brightly. While Sourav Ganguly became the third cricketer to slam a hundred on debut at Lord’s, Rahul Dravid fell five runs short of a century. Ganguly also picked up three wickets in the match. The manner in which the two aced the conditions, and the English attack provided glimpses of what was to come ahead. The duo went on to establish themselves as massive pillars of Indian cricket.

Brief scores

England 344 (Graham Thorpe 89, Jack Russell 124; Javagal Srinath 3/76, Venkatesh Prasad 5/76) & 278/9 dec. (Alec Stewart 66; Anil Kumble 3/90) drew with India 429 (Sourav Ganguly 131, Rahul Dravid 91; Chris Lewis 3/101, Alan Mullaly 3/71)

---

2002: Ajit Agarkar and Virender Sehwag’s memorable outings in an otherwise forgettable Test

Ajit Agarkar does the unthinkable.

Less than a fortnight back, India beat the odds to hurt English pride and won the NatWest final at Lord’s. It was payback time with the red ball and England had their say.

The then Indian captain Ganguly marked a new era in Indian cricket by asking a young middle-order batter named Virender Sehwag to open in Tests. The aggressive batter responded with a 96-ball 84 and crafted his legacy as one of the most excellent openers in the sport’s history.

Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, a frontline pacer who bagged only three wickets in the Test, went on to get his name etched on the prestigious Lord’s honors board with an improbable hundred.

Brief scores

England 487 (Nasser Hussain 155, John Crawley 64, Andrew Flintoff 59, Craig White 53; Zaheer Khan 3/90, Anil Kumble 3/128) & 301 for 6 dec. (Michael Vaughan 100, John Crawley 100*; Anil Kumble 3/84) beat India 221 (Virender Sehwag 84; Matthew Hoggard 3/33) & 397 (Wasim Jaffer 53, Rahul Dravid 63, VVS Laxman 74, Ajit Agarkar 109; Matthew Hoggard 4/87) by 170 runs

---

2007: MS Dhoni denies an English victory

MS Dhoni saves the day for India.

Playing his first Test at the home of cricket, MS Dhoni produced a gem of an innings to help India escape with a draw. The result proved to be fruitful as India went on to clinch the series. Chasing 380 for victory against a probing attack in testing conditions, India’s no.7 held the fort at one end as wickets tumbled at the other. The visitors were also aided by bad light and a slice of luck.

Brief scores

England 298 (Andrew Strauss 96, Michael Vaughan 79; Sreesanth 3/67) & 282 (Kevin Pietersen 134; Zaheer Khan 4/79, RP Singh 5/59) drew with India 201 (Wasim Jaffer 58; Ryan Sidebottom 4/65, James Anderson 5/42) & 282 for 9 (Dinesh Karthik 60, MS Dhoni 76*; Chris Tremlett 3/52)

---

Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ajinkya Rahane pull off the unthinkable

Ishant Sharma gets another.

After a dull draw at Trent Bridge, the focus shifted to the green track at Lord’s. When England put India in to bat, the chances looked grim for the visitors. A fighting hundred from Ajinkya Rahane helped India post 295.

Rahane received support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who scored 36 and, importantly, added a 90-run eighth-wicket stand. Bhuvi wasn’t done, though. He bagged a six-wicket haul and ensured England's lead was just 24 before he put up another resilient display with the bat in the second innings. This time, he and Ravindra Jadeja added 99 runs for the eighth wicket to help India set England a target of 319 runs.

With Joe Root in brilliant touch, England remained in the game before Dhoni instructed Ishant Sharma to go ahead with a short-ball strategy. The lanky pacer, who had gone wicket-less in the first innings, ended up producing one of the most iconic spells of fast bowling and claimed a seven-wicket hau as India registered their second Test win at Lord’s.

Brief scores

India 295 (Ajinkya Rahane 103; James Anderson 4/60) & 342 (Murali Vijay 95, Ravindra Jadeja 68, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 52; Ben Stokes 3/51, Liam Plunkett 3/65) beat England 319 (Gary Ballance 110, Liam Plunkett 55*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 6/82) & 223 (Joe Root 66; Ishant Sharma 7/74) by 95 runs