India's previous 5 Test encounters at Lord's vs England

With the first game of much anticipated five-Test series between two powerhouses of world cricket done and dusted, all eyes are set for the next encounter at the historic ground of Lord's in London.

If the Test at Edgbaston was a trailer to how this series might pan out for the course of next six weeks, then 2nd Test at Lord's will be a test of character for both the teams as India look to stage a comeback while England will hope to put the visitors on mat by taking a 2-0 lead.

As numbers say, this hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the hosts in past few years in the whites. And on the contrary, their opponents have enjoyed some decent success for a good period of time with World Cup victory in 1983 and the Natwest Final win in 2002 being the most memorable of the lot.

Virat Kohli led side would take some confidence from their last Test appearance at Lord's which they won by 95 runs to secure their solitary victory on the entire tour. On the similar lines, we take a leaf out of the history books to revisit India's last 5 Test appearances at Lord's:

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#5. 2nd Test, Jun 20-24 1996

After the loss in the first of the three-match Test series, India were at the backfoot as they head into the 2nd game at Lord's. Under the captaincy of M Azharuddin, the visitors took some bold decisions to give two rookies a go in the all-important encounter with the Test series at stake. The game saw two of India's finest batsmen take centre stage at the historic venue as they batted so as to announce their arrival that they belonged to this level.

Bowling out the hosts for 344 in the first innings, India replied with a healthy 429 courtesy some show from the debutants as Sourav Ganguly's scored his maiden century and Rahul Dravid propelled his way to a well made 95, an innings of immense control that asserted hope for the future.

However, India couldn't bowl out England in the 2nd innings and the match ended in a draw. This game ever since has been a great addition to Indian cricket history and is known for the birth of India's two future stars as they go onto rule the world for the course of next 10-15 years.

Result: Match Drawn

#4. 1st Test, Jul 25-29 2002

It was the first of the four-match Test series as it promised some riveting cricketing action between two top sides of that time. A game that didn't begin well for the Indians is always remembered for Ajit Agarkar's only century in his International cricket that came in the final innings of the Test match to restore some pride for the Indians. Bowling first, India gave away 487 with an ugly reply of 221 leaving them with a lot to chase in the 4th innings.

With a target of 568, India were already on the ropes but some healthy contributions from the lower order helped the visitors not only frustrate the England bowlers but also sent a message of what can they expect in the games to follow.

Agarkar settled in for a partnership with Nehra, who held up one end to allow his bowling mate to get to his maiden Test century at Lord's. The Mumbai-lad went onto score unbeaten 109 as India succumbed to defeat by 170 runs. Later, India won the game at Headingley to draw the series 1-1.

Result: England won by 170 runs

#3. 1st Test, Jul 19-23 2007

Touring UK after a span of five years, India were set to feature in a long limited series against England along with a three-match Test series. It was always important to start the first Test on a high note but India once again failed to get going with the same usual problems coming to the fore. However, this time around they had a very potent bowling attack to go past the opposition line up with the likes of Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and S Sreesanth.

In the first Test, India once again disappointed with the bat in a low scoring encounter. WIth 380 to chase in the ultimate innings, the batting order fell like nine pins before Laxman and Dhoni steadied the ship in the lower-middle order. With still plenty to get, India were 282 for 9 before bad light stopped play and the play was abandoned for the rest of the day to end the game in a draw. It was an impressive performance from India's wicket-keeper batsman as he held his nerve to push the game for the draw with some luck favouring him in the end.

Result: Match Drawn

#2. 1st Test, Jul 21-25 2011

India's tour to England in 2011 was banked with high expectations from the visitors to repeat their heroics of 2007. An experienced team led by a young skipper in MS Dhoni saw a forgetful tour as they were clean swept in the four-match Test series. The first morning of the Lord's Test match brought ominous signs for the team as Zaheer Khan, India's premier bowler got injured to be ruled out of the entire series.

The historic 2000th Test match and the 100th game between India saw a dominating performance from the hosts as they piled runs to add on to the misery for India. Dhoni always lacked bowling options in some seamer-friendly conditions and forced to roll over his arms. The only positive from the tour saw Rahul Dravid lead the batting group to get to his maiden century at Lord's after a wait of 15 years. Eventually, England won the game by 196 runs as the trend continued in the games to follow.

Result: England won by 196 runs

#1. 2nd Test, Jul 17-21 2014

The second Test in 2014 saw an end to India's 28-year long wait to win a Test match at Lord's. With some individual brilliance in all the departments, India saw the hopes on the roped to gain a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series. It was a game that was evenly balanced until the end of 1st innings of both the sides. A six-fer from Kumar and a century at Lord's from Rahane saw the two help their names on the iconic honours board.

But it was Ishant Sharma's spell of 7-74 that led India to victory on the final day of the Test match. Chasing 319 to win the 4th innings, England were going smoothly until Ishant produced a great spell post lunch on the final day to seal the game for his side. He registered his best figures in Test cricket and the best by any Indian seamer going past Bhuvi's career best in the first innings. However, this was the only hurrah for the Dhoni-led side in the Test series as they failed to build on the momentum to eventually lose the series 3-1.

Result: India won by 95 runs