India had dominated world cricket over the past two years with most of their bilateral series being played in the sub-continent and West Indies. It was always known that the first real challenge under Virat Kohli's reign would arrive when they travelled abroad to face the likes of South Africa, England and Australia.
India travelled to South Africa earlier this year and lost the first two tests despite being ahead in the game for long periods. India made amends in the third test match to claim a special victory. They dominated the limited overs series, drubbing the Proteas 5-0 in ODIs and 2-1 in T20Is.
India, learnt from their mistakes and made sure the limited overs leg was scheduled earlier in England to make sure the players get ample time to get accustomed to the English conditions. The T20Is were a tight affair as India clinched the series 2-1. India also went on to ease through to victory in the first ODI, provoking fears in the English ranks. The number 1 ODI side though came from behind to win the series 2-1, showcase their class and proving that they would be one of the favorites for next year's ICC World Cup which will be scheduled here in England.
The equation now is 1-1 at the end of the limited overs leg, and we now arrive at the most anticipated leg of the long tour- the 5 match test series. This is what India have been preparing for all year as they know that beating England in their own backyard is always a daunting task. More so because India lost the 5-match series 3-1 the previous time they toured in 2014 and they suffered a 4-0 whitewash in 2011.
India though, can take inspiration from some memorable wins that have been achieved in the long rivalry between these two sides. India last won the series in 2007 with a memorable triumph at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. India have arrived with a talented squad that is capable of going toe to toe with the English side and they'll look to produce a few more historic wins to end up victorious at the end of the tour.
On that note, we take a look at 3 memorable test victories that India achieved in England in the 21st century-
#3. 2014 Lords test match
Both the sides went into this test match after a drab draw at Nottingham. India were asked to bat first in tough conditions and soon found themselves in trouble at 145-7. That's when India's crisis man away from home, Ajinkya Rahane put his hand up to take India out of trouble. He found an able hand in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and a high quality ton from the Mumbai batsman took India to a decent score of 295.
England took a 24-run first innings lead thanks to a ton from Gary Ballance. Plunkett replicated Bhuvi's role, but took it further by scoring a valuable 55* to give England the crucial lead. Bhuvi was the wrecker-in-chief as he picked up 6 deserved wickets with swing bowling of highest quality.
India's top three began in steady fashion in the second essay to reach 118-1, before the wickets of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane in the space of 5 runs put India in a precarious position. Dhoni came in and played an uncharacteristic, but vital knock of 19 off 86 balls to provide Murali Vijay support. Vijay fell short of a well deserved ton, but scored 95 hard earned runs as he displayed remarkable patience and grit to stave off the quality English bowling attack. When Vijay was dismissed at 235-7, the game was right in the balance. That was when Bhuvi came back to cause England more headaches, this time with rockstar Jadeja. Both the all-rounders counterattacked their way to half-centuries to take India's score to 342, giving England a stiff target of 319 to chase in the fourth innings.
England got off to a bad start in their chase and found themselves at 72-4 and staring at a defeat. Joe Root and Moeen Ali came together to put on a 101-run hope to give England a glimmer of hope. That's when India brought back pace spearhead Ishant Sharma, who bounced out short-ball suspect Moeen Ali. Ishant retained the same tactics and it worked a treat for him as the short ball ploy foxed Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Stuart Broad into playing poor shots. Man-of-the-match Ishant Sharma took India to the doorstep of victory with his seven wicket haul and the final rites was aptly completed by Ravindra Jadeja, who was embroiled in a controversy with James Anderson. Jadeja's direct-hit caught Anderson short of his crease and sent the Indian team into raptures as they captured a famous win at the home of cricket-Lords.
#2. 2002 Leeds test match
India went into the third test of this series trailing 1-0 and with a lot of work to do in the final two tests if they were to get back into the series. India opted to bat first in an ideal setting for the English bowlers as dark skies and a damp pitch welcomed the batsmen. India lost Virender Sehwag early and it looked ominous for them in hostile conditions.
That was when Rahul Dravid walked out at number 3 on the back of a confidence boosting ton in the previous match. Dravid found the perfect foil in Sanjay Bangar, a determined batsman who along with Dravid put his head down to ensure that the middle-order doesn't get exposed early. The Wall, who was in the form of his life in this series, guided his younger partner Bangar as the two battled hard, getting beaten by the outrageous swing on offer, leaving balls, taking blows to their body. They ensured that England would have to toil for another 68 overs to pick up the second wicket. Sachin Tendulkar walked out with the danger averted and he began on the front foot as he put pressure on the English attack. Dravid scored an impeccable 148 and was dismissed in the second day, and his knock gave Sourav Ganguly the chance to attack the English bowlers.
With the bowlers wilting, Sourav and Sachin smashed them to all corners and brought up respective centuries too. Sachin missed out on a fantastic double hundred by 7 runs and captain Ganguly scored a blistering 128 as India declared with a mammoth 628 on the board on the third day.
A combined bowling effort by the Indian bowlers saw England packed off for just 273 runs, giving India a massive lead of 355 runs. Spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up 3 wickets each and the pacers Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar got 2 each. India enforced the follow-on and England batted again with a lot of work to do to save the test match.
England fared better in the second essay, as skipper Nasser Hussain led from the front with a classy ton. But, England were still no match to India as they suffered a humiliating innings defeat on their home soil. Kumble picked up four more wickets in the second innings.
This was a famous win which enabled India to level the series 1-1 and this was built on the combined efforts of the senior men Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly and Kumble. However, the foundations of this famous win was built on the grit and determination shown by Bangar and Dravid on the first day.
#1 2007 Trent Bridge test match
India came to England in 2007 after a horrific World Cup earlier in the year and they needed to win the series to bring some happiness back at home. Everything fell into place for the Indian team, including luck. In the first Test at Lord's, India were one wicket away when defeat when rain poured down and washed out the final session of the test match.
In the second Test at Nottingham, India took the brave decision to field first. The decision was vindicated as the pace bowlers, led by a determined Zaheer Khan ran through the English top order. Kumble ran through the lower order to dismiss England for a paltry 198 in their first innings. None of the English batsman crossed the half-century mark in a poor performance.
The Indian openers Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik put on a 147-run stand to get the Indian innings going. Rahul Dravid and Sachin put on a 97-run stand for the third wicket and Sachin also put on a 96-run stand with Sourav Ganguly for the fourth wicket, before he was dismissed on 91. VVS Laxman also got a half century along with Ganguly, as five of the top 6 got past the 50 run mark, with Dravid himself getting 37. India ended up with a resounding 481, as they took a commanding 283-run lead to put England in massive pressure.
England began well in their second innings as Strauss got to 55 and Michael Vaughan held fort at number 3 to score a classy ton. England reached 287-3 with a lead of 4 runs. Vaughan was well past his 100 and Collingwood was also set as the game was still in the balance. That's when a fired up Zaheer Khan came back with a fantastic display of swing bowling with the second new ball. Zak sent back Vaughan and Bell in the same over and also got the wicket of Collingwood later in his spell. Kumble returned to clean up the tail as the England innings folded up for just 355, when it promised a lot more.
India needed a small target of 73 to take a 1-0 lead in the series and they did that with ease to clinch a famous victory. Zaheer Khan, who had spent time honing his skills in the county circuit the previous year was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his inspirational swing bowling that fetched him 9 wickets.
India drew the third test to clinch the series 1-0 as they celebrated their third series triumph in England shores.
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