England vs India in Tests: The first part of this series saw test matches until 1974 where England deemed extremely dominant. It was only in the 70’s that India’s biggest match winners Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev became a crucial part of the Indian folklore. Part 2 covers the period from 1976-77 to 1996. How did India compete in this time frame? A teenage sensation from Bandra made his test debut in 1989 and went on to become one of the finest batters of all time. Any guesses? Let’s take a look. There’s plenty at stake when these two teams take the field. The test series promises to be an absolute humdinger. Also, fantasy cricket awaits all the ardent cricket fanatics on FanFight. Ready for an extravagant season of red ball cricket?
HISTORY OF ENGLAND vs INDIA IN TESTS PART 2
1976 (INDIA) INDIA 1, ENGLAND 3, DRAW 1
The English side led by the flamboyant Tony Greig dominated the 5-match series. England won the first three games of the series in style. They won the first game by an innings and 25 runs, the second by 10 wickets and the third by 200 runs. The Indian spin twin of Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi then helped India pull things back in the 4th test. Both the tweakers picked 6-fors, helping India win the test by 140 runs. The last game of the series finished in a draw. Sunil Gavaskar & Dennis Amiss were the highest run-getters for the two teams. The former scored 394 runs in 5 tests while the later put up 417 runs. Bedi picked 25 scalps while Derek Underwood finished the series with 29 wickets.
1979 (ENGLAND) ENGLAND 0, INDIA 1, DRAW 3
India toured England for a 4-match series in 1979. Mike Brearley led the English troops while the Indian legion was led by S Venkataraghavan. England had the likes of Ian Botham, David Gower, Geoff Boycott & Graham Gooch in their playing XI. England won the 1st test by an innings and 83 runs. Geoff Boycott (155) and Gower (200) were the top scorers. India could only manage 297 and 253 in the two innings. The next three games didn’t produce results but saw some outstanding individual performances. Gavaskar’s 221 at the Oval in the final test will always remain one of the finest knocks in English soil.
1980 (INDIA) INDIA 0, ENGLAND 1
England on their way back from Australia played a one-off test against India at Mumbai. It was ‘The Ian Botham Show’ at the Wankhede Stadium. The English all-rounder picked 13 wickets and scored 114 in England’s first innings. England chased down the 98-run target without losing a wicket.
1981-82 (INDIA) INDIA 1, ENGLAND 0, DRAW 5
England visited India yet again and were beaten yet again. This time in a 6-match test series. The score, however, read 1-0. India took the first test by 138 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Dilip Doshi’s 5/39 and Madan Lal’s 5/23 restricted England to 166 and 102. Gundappa Viswanath’s 222 in the 5th test at Madras is still considered one of the classiest innings played at this venue. The last test at Kanpur saw the two world-beating all-rounders go head-on against each other. Botham scored 142 while Kapil Dev managed a quickfire 116. India also won the ODI series 2-1.
1982 (ENGLAND) ENGLAND 1, INDIA 0, DRAW 2
After losing both ODIs and tests against India in India, England sought revenge and revenge is what they got. They won the Prudential Trophy(ODIs) 2-0 and won the test series 1-0. The first test at the Lord’s saw the home team beat India by 7 wickets. Kapil Dev was named the player of the series for his 292 runs and 10 wickets. The 3rd test again saw the two all-rounders go berserk. Botham scored 208 in 223 deliveries while Kapil Dev smashed 97 off 93 balls.
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1984 (INDIA) INDIA 1, ENGLAND 2, DRAW 2
India won the 1st test by 8 wickets. L Sivaramakrishnan’s 12/181 helped India gain a 1-0 advantage in the 5 match series but the lead didn’t last as England beat the home team in the 2nd and 4th test. Mike Gatting’s 207 in the 4th test paved way for a comfortable win and the 5th test at Kanpur finished in a stalemate. England won the series 2-1.
1986 (ENGLAND) ENGLAND 0, INDIA 2, DRAW 1
For only the second time in their cricketing history, India beat England in England. This, a more dominant display and a rather clinical one. India won the first two tests with ease and were almost on the verge of winning the third as well. Dilip Vengsarkar went ballistic scoring a hundred in the first two tests. Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Roger Binny and Maninder Singh all played crucial roles in helping the Indian legion pick the English batters for cheap. India won the Leeds test by a mammoth 279 runs dismissing England for 102 in the first and 128 in the 2nd innings. The 2-match ODI series finished 1-1.
1990 (ENGLAND) ENGLAND 1, INDIA 0, DRAW 2
1990 for Indians is a very special year. For obvious reasons of course. Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden test century at Manchester becoming the youngest Indian to reach that landmark. The master batsman would go on to score 50 more test hundreds. England won the Lord’s test by 247 runs courtesy, a relentless onslaught from Graham Gooch. The right-hander went on to score 333 in the first and 123 runs in the 2nd innings. Mohammad Azharuddin smashed a 111-ball 121 but his efforts were sidelined by Gooch’s juggernaut. Azharuddin scored 179 in the second test and Sachin’s 119* almost helped India chase down 408.
1992-93 (INDIA) INDIA 3, ENGLAND 0
In the 1992 tour of India, the English lads had no answers to the Indian powerhouse. Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Anil Kumble were the major contributors. India won the 1st test by 8 wickets, the 2nd test by an innings & 22 runs and the 3rd test by an innings & 15 runs. Anil Kumble removed 21 English batters in the tour while the entire English bowling unit could only manage 28 scalps in 3 tests. The ODI series was contested equally. The series ended in a 3-3 draw.
1996 (ENGLAND) ENGLAND 1, INDIA 0, DRAW 2
Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly made their test debuts in this series. After losing the first test at Edgbaston, the Indian side moved to Lord’s where Sourav scored his debut century while Dravid fell short of his hundred by 5 runs. The southpaw also scored a hundred in the Trent Bridge test. Sachin Tendulkar was the pick of the batsmen in the 3-match series scoring 428 runs. Rahul Dravid went on to play 164 times for India and Sourav Ganguly played 113 tests.
Check out our blog for the England vs India 2018 test schedule. Who do you think will star in the upcoming test series? Can Virat Kohli battle the English conditions or will Joe Root and co, torment the Indian attack yet again? Are your fantasy picks ready for the tests?
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