IND vs ENG 2021: When was the last time India won a Test match at the Oval?

England managed to level the series 1-1 against India courtesy of a comprehensive victory in the third Test at Headingley last week. The first Test at Trent Bridge ended in a draw, while Team India won the second Test hosted at Lord's.

Both teams are now gearing up to play the crucial fourth Test of the 5-match series at the Oval, which commences on September 2.

Team India has a very poor record while playing Test cricket at the Oval. So far, they have played 13 Tests at this venue and went on to win on only one occasion. They lost five games while seven contests ended in a draw. India have not won a Test at this venue over the last 50 years.

Ironically, Oval is known to be one of the best venues to bat in England, but some of the prominent Indian batsmen from the current line-up have struggled for runs here.

August 19 - 24, 1971: Team India registered its first Test win on English soil at the Oval

Team India's last victory at the Oval came way back in 1971. It was also the first-ever Test win for India while playing in England. The 3-match series was level at 0-0 after two consecutive draws going into this match. In the third Test at Oval, England skipper Ray Illingworth won the toss and elected to bat first.

John Jameson (82), Alan Knott (90), and Richard Hutton (81) starred with the bat for the hosts in the first innings, as these knocks helped them reach a decent total of 355. Eknath Solkar (3/28) was the pick of the bowlers for India in the first innings.

Dilip Sardesai (54), Farokh Engineer (59), Ajit Wadekar (48), and Eknath Solkar (44) got starts in the Indian batting line-up, but none of them could convert them into big knocks. It meant India got all-out for 284 and conceded a 71-run lead to the hosts. Ray Illingworth (5/70) picked a fifer and led the team from the front.

Legendary leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (6/38) bowled an iconic spell in the second innings as he spun a web around the English batsman and bundled them out for 101. Srinivas Venkataraghavan (2/44) and Bishan Bedi (1/1) played supporting roles to Chandrasekhar.

With a 173 runs target in the final innings, Team India got off to the worst possible start. Dependable opener Sunil Gavaskar perished for a nine-ball duck. Ajit Wadekar (45), Dilip Sardesai (40), Gundappa Viswanath (33), and Farokh Engineer (28*) played sensibly in the middle-order and helped India script a historic triumph at the Oval in 1971.

Courtesy of the win, India also won the 3-match series 1-0, which was also their first-ever Test series win on English soil.

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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