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Road to 500 Tests: Team India's 10 memorable wins

  • India became the fourth country to have touched the 500-mark Test mark.
  • Out of 499 Tests, India has won 129, drawn 212, lost 157 and tied one Test.
  • The first Test between India and New Zealand, which is underway at Kanpur, is Team India's 500th Test
Road to 500 Tests Team Indias 10 memorable wins
Author
Kanpur, First Published Sep 22, 2016, 9:33 AM IST

The other three countries that have played 500 or more Tests are Australia (791), West Indies (517) and England (976).

 

The road to 500 Tests has not been a cakewalk for India. Out of 499 Tests, the current World No. 2 has managed to win only 129 matches. India has lost 157, drawn 212 and tied a Test.

 

Here is a list of India's 10 memorable Test wins across the globe:

 

India vs England at The Oval, 1971:

 

Team India made their Test debut back in 1932, and it took them 39 years to register their first win on English soil. It was a three-Test series and after drawing the first two games, India beat the hosts in the final match by four wickets.

 

It was also India's first Test series win against these opponents.

 

Eknath Solkar takes a brilliant catch to dismiss Alan Knott, England v India at The Oval, 1971 © Getty Images

 

India vs West Indies at Port of Spain, 1971:

 

After playing 11 Tests in the Caribbean, Team India finally clinched their first-ever win against West Indies in their backyard in the second Test of the 1971 five-Test series. India won the series 1-0, which was also their first Test series win in West Indies.

 

West Indies captain Garfield Sobers appeals for LBW © Getty Images

 

India vs Australia at Melbourne, 1977:

 

After drawing a Test and losing 10, India eventually registered their premier win in Australia during their Australia tour 1977-78. It was a five-Test series and sadly India ended on the losing side, 2-3.

 

India so far has managed to add another four Test wins on the Australian soil after that win.

 

India vs England at The Lord's, 1986:

 

After eight losses and two draws, the Indian team finally won a Test at the Mecca of Cricket, the Lord's, during India's tour of England in 1986.

 

The visitors sealed the first two Tests at the Lord's and Leeds before drawing the final match at Nottingham.

 

England set up a target of 134 runs in the final innings. India chased that down in 42 overs. It took India another 28 years to beat the hosts at Lord's. The MS Dhoni-led side defeated England by 95 runs at Lord's during their 2014 tour.

 

The Indian cricket team photographed at Lord's during their 1986 England tour © Getty Images

India vs Australia at Kolkata, 2001:

 

It was the second Test of the famous Australia's 2001 tour of India. Australia beat the hosts in the first Test at Mumbai. However, the Indians fought back in style, winning the next two Tests at Kolkata and Chennai, thereby sealing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.

 

Australia posted a massive total of 445 in the first innings. They had the match in control when they bowled the hosts out for a mere 171 runs, taking a lead of 274 runs.

 

They enforced the follow-on and Indians made full use of it. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman's historic partnership of 376 runs for the fifth wicket then happened.

 

The match is still remembered as the 'Follow-on Test.'

 

India eventually declared at a mammoth total of 657 for 7, giving the Australians a target of 384 runs. The hosts won the match by 171 runs.

 

 

India vs Australia at Adelaide, 2003:

 

It was the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2003-04. The four-Test series ended as a draw with both the sides winning a Test each. 

 

The Test is associated with the two double centuries scored. Ricky Ponting smashed 242 off 352, and it was Rahul Dravid next who scored 233 off 446 balls. A total of 1508 runs went on the board in the match and eventually it were the visitors who ended up as the winners.

 

India so far has only registered five wins on the Australian soil, and the Adelaide win was the fourth win.

 

 

 

 

India vs Pakistan at Multan, 2004:

 

The match is remembered for then Indian skipper Rahul Dravid's abrupt declaration when Savin Tendulkar was six runs away from a double ton.

 

However, the match is famous for Virender Sehwag's triple Test ton. He smashed 375-ball 309, becoming the first Indian to reach that feat.

 

After 15 draws and five losses in Tests, the Indian team bagged their first-ever win in Pakistan during their 2004 tour. They won the series 2-1, and that win remains India's only series win in Pakistan.

 

 

India vs South Africa at Johannesburg, 2006:

 

India so far has won just two Tests in South Africa and the Johannesburg Test was their first win there. This win was one of the best matches by an Indian side under the leadership of Dravid.

 

The next win came four years later in 2010 when India played the Proteas under MS Dhoni.

 

South Africa was bowled out for 84 in the Johannesburg Test, which was their lowest total in Tests against these opponents. The Proteas in 2015 registered a new lowest innings total against India when they were all out for 75.

 

India vs Australia at Perth, 2008:

 

India lost the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2008-09 and the match at Perth was the third match of the tour.

 

India defeated the hosts by 72 runs, which was India's fifth Test victory in Australia's backyard. A total of eight years have passed since then, but India is yet to win a Test on Australian soil. However, the Anil Kumble-led side lost the series 1-2.

 

 

India vs Australia at Mohali, 2010:

 

India displayed a classy game of cricket in the Mohali Test, and the heroics of VVS Laxman which gave India a thrilling one-wicket victory remains fresh in a cricket fanatic's memories.

 

 

Along with Ishant Sharma, he frustrated the Australians for 21.4 overs and put up 81 runs for the ninth wicket. Australia more or less had a victory in their pockets, when Sharma was dismissed.

 

However, an unstoppable Laxman helped India cross the line successfully. Pragyan Ojha and Laxman scored the final 11 runs in 3.2 overs and gifted India an incredible one-wicket victory.

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