5 memorable wins for India in England

India’s tour of England will begin in a couple of days’ time and all the speculations surrounding the tournament has already started. The visitors have been playing in the country ever since 1932 and have been beaten black and blue at times. Their batsmen have found the conditions in the European nation a challenging one and haven’t quite been able to dictate terms to them.

In their 86-year old rivalry, India have only been able to garner 21 victories (6 Tests and 15 ODIs). Meanwhile, there have been instances when the visiting team has soared above expectations and humble their opponents with sheer disdain. In our article, we take you through five of the Blue Army’s most memorable wins in the country against the Brits.

#1 The Oval, 1971 (Test)

India, led by Ajit Wadekar, romped home to victory by 4 wickets. The victory held significance for the fact that it was their first Test victory in the nation after 39 years. Richard Illingworth won the toss and elected to bat. Gutsy knocks from John Jameson (82), Alan Knott (90) and Richard Hutton (81) guided the hosts to 355 runs after which a five-wicket haul from Illingworth shot India out for 284.

With a lead of 71, the Brits had the upper hand, but Bhagwath Chandrashekhar churned out six wickets in the second innings to wreak havoc in the opposition camp. The hosts were bowled out for a mere 101 in the second instance. Wadekar’s men lost six wickets en route their journey to trace down 173 runs. With the triumph, India also took a lead of 1-0 in the series.

#2 Manchester, 1983 (ODI)

India’s maiden ODI win versus England came in the semi-final of the 1983 World Cup under Kapil Dev’s leadership. Bob Willis won the toss and elected to bat first. Graeme Fowler and Chris Tavare’s 69 run partnership kick-started proceedings for England. Both were nipped out by Roger Binny after which their innings lost momentum and they were bundled out for 213 in their allotted 60 overs.

Kapil and Mohinder Amarnath also chipped in with a couple of wickets. India, during their run chase, got off to a healthy start with a stand of 46 runs between Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth. Paul Allott and Ian Botham got rid of them in quick succession to bring the match in the balance. However, Yashpal Sharma and Sandeep Patil’s half-centuries took India to a six-wicket victory.

#3 Lord’s, 1986 (Test)

Winning a Test at the Lord’s is a dream for every cricketing nation. India had the privilege for the maiden time back in 1986 under Kapil Dev. It was also their second Test win in the country. After India won the toss and elected to field, Graham Gooch’s knock of 114 coupled with Derek Pringle’s 63 runs lifted the Poms’ to 294. Dilip Vengsarkar’s masterclass of 126 runs helped India to a lead of 47 runs.

Some impeccable pieces of bowling by Kapil and Maninder Singh helped the visitors bowl out England for 180 runs. Maninder bowled as many as 12 maidens in his spell of 20 overs. He conceded 9 runs and picked up 3 important wickets. While chasing 134, India lost wickets at regular intervals, but a sixth-wicket stand of 26 runs between Kapil and Ravi Shastri guided India to a five-wicket victory.

#4 Leeds, 2002 (Test)

Sourav Ganguly was an inspirational captain and he and his team turned their rivals over by a margin of an innings and 46 runs, which was also their most thumping Test victory in the country. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat after which Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly’s centuries lifted India to a colossal 628 runs declared in the first innings.

England were dismissed for 273 runs courtesy of a combined effort from the pacers as well as the spinners. The spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble picked up notched three wickets each. While following on, English skipper Nasser Hossain’s gutsy made sure that his team doesn’t crumble. However, it couldn’t help the hosts from evading the comprehensive defeat.

#5 Lord’s, 2002, (ODI)

The Final of the tri-series between India and England will remain to be amongst the Men in Blues greatest ever victories. Nasser Hussain won the toss and elected to bat first. The hosts lost Nick Knight early, but twin centuries from Marcus Trescothick and Hussain ensured that the hosts put on a daunting 326 runs for India to chase. Andrew Flintoff’s breezy 40 from 32 balls propelled their score.

The run chase started on a stupendous note for the Blue Army as Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag piled on an opening stand of 106 runs from 87 balls. Alex Tudor picked up the Indian skipper following which India slumped to 146/5 in 24 overs. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif put on 121 runs together and brought their team back into the match. They eventually got home in the last over by two wickets.