India's top 5 victories at Lord's across formats

The picture that flashes in our minds on coming across the name Lord's is one of pure serenity. Often referred to as the Mecca of Cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground perfectly typifies the title of being the home to the gentlemen's game.

The beautiful sporting facility in London named after it's founder Thomas Lord's has distinct characteristics that make it stand apart from all other cricket grounds in the world. The old Pavilion built in the Victorian era, the modern Media Centre, the Long Room housed by the Pavilion, honour boards and the continuous sloping nature of the playing field are all such distinctive traits of the 204 year old sporting facility.

Playing cricket at Lord's in itself is a dream come true for so many cricketers, and performing well for their nation and getting recognised over there becomes all the more special. This article encapsulates India's top 5 victories achieved at the iconic stadium.

---

#1 India v West Indies, 25th June 1983

When Indian cricket changed forever

Arguably the most famous match hosted by Lord's, the Final of the 1983 Prudential World Cup lived up to it's billing. Two time defending champions West Indies looked all set to extend their domination on world cricket with a third consecutive title, but Kapil's Devils had other ideas.

Starting off the tournament as sheer underdogs, the Indian team outplayed their opponents to prove to be the dark horses and also ended up putting their hands on the silverware.

Put into bat by Clive Lloyd, the Indians could not even play out their full quota of 60 overs as the ace quartet of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts accounted for 8 of them. Opener K Srikkanth top scored with 38 while Mohinder Amarnath (26) and Sandeep Patil (27) chipped in with valuable contributions.

Set a modest 184 to defend their title, the Carribean team looked well on course at 50/1 with Viv Richards and Desmond Haynes milking the Indian bowling. However, a turn of events enabled by sharp bowling, excellent fielding (who can forget Kapil Dev backtracking to pouch an important catch to dismiss Vivian Richards) and poor shot selection from the Windies meant that the underdogs had scripted a fairytale.

Madan Lal (3-31) and the magical spell of Man of the Match Amarnath (3-12) were the wreckers-in-chief as India went on to win the match by 43 runs.

#2 India v England, 13th July, 2002

Ganguly's antics in the Lord's balcony left an indelible imprint on minds of all Indian fans

For the present generation of cricket followers, it is not a myth that the Indian team is the best chasing team in the world. Banking on the likes of power hitters like Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni and led by the chase master himself, no total is big enough to challenge the present Indian batting line up.

However, the same could not have been said about this team at the turn of the millennium. Back then, India were miserable when it came to chasing totals, and even more so in crunch matches like finals. This notion, though, took a huge makeover when two youngsters, backed by the charismatic Sourav Ganguly, decided to etch their names in cricketing folklore.

Chasing an improbable 326 to win the Natwest Trophy Final, India slumped to 146/5 in the 24th over after a thumping start. With Ganguly, Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar back in the hut, even the most optimistic of Indian fans had conceded defeat.

Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh justified the trust Dada had reposed in them

A 121 run stand in 106 balls between Yuvraj Singh (69 off 63 balls) and Mohammad Kaif (87* off 75 balls) put India into a position of victory. Kaif stuck around till the end to ensure that the conventional chokers sailed past England's highest ever ODI total and that his captain could avenge the pain caused by Andrew Flintoff a few months back by famously waiving his shirt standing in the Lord's balcony.

#3 England v India, July 17-21, 2014

Ishant Sharma was the hero of India's second Test win at Lord's

When India landed to play a 5-Test series in England in 2014, they were pitted against their dismal overseas record which saw them return home winless in the last three years. After the first match ended in a draw, English skipper Alastair Cook put India into bat on a Lord's pitch that one had to look carefully to demarcate from the lush green of the field.

Ajinkya Rahane showcased his class as his knock of 103 stood like a rock in helping India amass 295 in the first innings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not miss out on exploiting the perfect conditions for swing bowling as he finished with figures of 6/82, keeping England to a modest total of 319.

Murali Vijay justified why he is called 'the monk' as he stayed at the crease for 378 minutes facing 247 balls, unluckily missing out on a well deserved entry on to the honours board by 5 runs.

A swashbuckling fifty by Ravindra Jadeja and a patient sojourn by the all-rounder Bhuvneshwar ensured India posted a mighty 342 in the second innings, leaving England with 329 to win the game.

In what started to seem a ride to an English victory on the final day, the tall Ishant Sharma's pyrotechnics with the short ball scripted one of India's most memorable Test victories of all time.

Making efficient usage of the uneven bounce of a final day track, Sharma bowled his heart out as he accounted for crucial wickets of Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Matt Prior, Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad, all with short pitched deliveries. His career best figures of 7/74 earned him the award for Man of the Match and India a well deserved victory on foreign soil.

#4 England v India, June 5-10, 1986

Dilip Vengsarkar and Kapil Dev ensured India achieved their first Test victory at Lord's in 54 years

After almost 54 years since their debut in 1932, India took the field at Lord's for the first Test of their tour of 1986, still searching for their maiden Test victory at the majestic venue.

England, asked to bat, rode on the back of a century performance from opener Graham Gooch as Chetan Sharma's 5-fer helped restrict the hosts to 294. A masterful 126* by Dilip Vengsarkar aided by 69 from Mohinder Amarnath helped India take a 47 run first innings lead.

Disciplined bowling and efficient exploitation of seaming conditions meant that the visitors scuttled the opposition out for 180 runs. The 134 run target was a walk in the park as India sailed to victory by 5 wickets, not just clinching their first test win at Lord's, but also paving the way for a famous series victory with a 2-0 margin.

#5 England v India, September 5, 2004

Dinesh Karthik' acrobatic stumping of Michael Vaughan was the turning point of the match

The Indian team in it's preparation for the forthcoming 2004 ICC Champions Trophy landed in England to a play a 3-match ODI series involving the hosts.

Coming of a long break after having famously defeated Pakistan in their own backyard, team India's preparations looked far from convincing for an ICC event. Lack of intent, poor shot selection, horrible running between the wickets and a lack lustre bowling attack meant that England, who were themselves not in the best of form, had no problem in steamrolling their opponents in the first two encounters.

The two teams reached Lord's for the final bout, England eyeing a whitewash and India a consolation win.

Electing to bat first, India never found the rhythm required to be able to post a big total. Steven Harmison's menacing spell of 4/22 aided by accurate bowling from Darren Gough, Alex Wharf and Ashley Giles accounted for breakthroughs at regular intervals.

However, two batting legends, both of whom had together made their debut eight years ago at the very same venue, ensured that their bowlers had something to bowl at. Sourav Ganguly led from the front with 90 runs and Rahul Dravid persevered through a 92 ball stay at the crease for his 52 runs.

If India lost wickets at regular intervals, England went about doing so in heaps. Chasing a modest 204 they were reduced to 62-6, courtesy some breathtaking pace bowling from Irfan Pathan (2/32) and Ashish Nehra (3/26).

Like his counterpart, English skipper Michael Vaughan came to the party as luck shone bright on him; dropped chances and errors in umpiring, all going his way. A 92-run stand between Vaughan (74) and Giles (39) almost took away India's saving grace but for two beautiful deliveries by Harbhajan Singh (3/28).

What will always strike the mind on thinking of this glorious match is the picture of a flying Dinesh Karthik, making his debut, to stump Vaughan down the leg side, leading to a 23-run Indian triumph.