2 Tests in cricket history that ended in a tie

There are many instances of ODI matches ending in a tie. It happened recently in the 2018 Asia Cup match between India and Afghanistan -- taking the tally of tied ODIs to 36. T20 matches also get tied regularly -- but they are concluded by a tiebreaker in the form of Super-Over. However, this is not the case in Tests and ODIs.

One would feel that it is extremely rare for a match to end in a tie after playing four innings but in the history of over 2300 Tests, 2 matches have, in fact, ended in a tie. Both matches involve the team that has played the highest number of Tests after England, i.e. Australia (over 800 Tests).

The first Test got tied in 1960 and was played between West Indies and Australia in Brisbane. This also happened to be the first tie in cricket history. Meanwhile, the second Test played in Chennai involved Australia and India.

Here is how the two Tests ended in a tie.

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#1 India vs Australia, 1986

The Test tied after Maninder Singh was given lbw on the second last ball of the match

It is hard to picture any of the Indian matches being as dramatic as the one against Australia in 1986. It was the first Test of Australia's tour of India in 1986-87 and the venue was Madras. Australia entered in the first Test of the tour with odds against them -- as in the past three years they had zero series victories.

Australia elected to bat first after winning the toss and put up a mammoth total of 574 runs before declaring the innings. In response, India were bowled out for 397 runs in the first innings. The hosts managed to evade follow-on because of Kapil Dev as he amassed 119 runs, playing a captain's inning. A draw seemed the most likely outcome but the-then Australian captain Border surprised one and all by declaring the second innings at 170/5 on the fifth day.

To win, the hosts needed 348 runs in 87 overs at a run rate of 4 runs an over. Cameos from Chandrakant Pandit and Chetan Sharma helped India reach 331/6. With Ravi Shastri still batting, India needed 17 runs from a little under 5 overs with four wickets in hand. The odds suddenly looked in India's favour. However, three quick dismissals from Bright turned the match on its head and now the score read 344/9.

India required 4 runs off the final over to win while the visitors needed a wicket to end the match in their favour. Shastri and Maninder added 3 runs off first four balls. This match was clearly not for the faint-hearted with so much drama going on. Now, with two balls left, India needed 1 run to win but a magical delivery from Mathews stuck Maninder on the pads and he was given lbw.

Match Summary

Australia (1st innings) - 574/7 dec. (Dean Jones - 210, Shivlal Yadav - 4/142)

India (1st innings) - 397/10 (Kapil Dev - 119, Greg Mathews - 5/103)

Australia (2nd innings) - 170/5 dec. (David Boon - 49, Maninder Singh - 3/60)

India (2nd innings) - 347/10 (Sunil Gavaskar - 90, Greg Mathews - 5/146)

#2 Australia vs West Indies, 1960

West Indies players celebrated the wicket of Meckiff as if they had won the match

The first Test of West Indies-Australia series in 1960-61 was the first match in the history of cricket that ended in the most dramatic way. The venue of the match was Brisbane Cricket Ground and for the first time, the West Indian team was led by a non-white player -- Frank Worell. After winning the toss, the visitors opted to bat first and made 453 runs in the first innings before getting all-out. Australia, in response, made 505/10 in their first innings.

In the final innings, Australia needed 233 runs to win the match and it seemed an easy win for Australia as they needed only 6 runs off the last over with three wickets in hand (Note - in 1960 one over comprised of 8 balls).

Here is that last over:

After 4 innings, the match ended in a tie as both the teams ended-up scoring 737 runs each. In the end, the hosts won the series 2-1 but the visitors West Indies won hearts. It was the most popular side ever to visit Australia as the entire city of Melbourne came out on streets to bid farewell to West Indies after they had gifted them memories of a lifetime.

Match Summary

West Indies (1st Innings) - 453/10 (Garry Sobers - 132, Alan Davidson - 5/132)

Australia (1st Innings) - 505/10 (Norm O'Neill - 181, Wes Hall - 4/140)

West Indies (2nd Innings) - 284/10 (Frank Worrell - 65, Alan Davidson - 6/87)

Australia (2nd Innings) - 232/10 (Alan Davidson - 80, Wes Hall - 5/63)