Stats: Biggest Test victories for India in terms of runs

On February 18th, India recorded their biggest victory in Test cricket history. Led by a dominant Rohit Sharma, they crushed England by a record margin of 434 runs in the third Test in Rajkot. This victory secured a commanding 2-1 series lead for India.

Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal played a pivotal role, smashing a double century that set a daunting target of 557 runs for England. Chasing this mammoth total proved impossible, as the visitors were dismantled by the masterful spin bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja tormented the English batters in familiar Indian conditions, claiming five wickets in the second innings. He also reached the significant milestone of 200 Test wickets at home in England's first innings.

Previously, India’s biggest Test achievement came against New Zealand at Mumbai in the year 2021,  the Kiwis were blown away by the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jayant Yadav as the former continued to haunt the visiting batters in the Indian conditions. 

India’s third-biggest win in the game’s oldest format came against South Africa at Delhi in 2015, when Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers’ blockathon and mammoth effort - 25 off 244 balls and 43 off 297 balls wasn’t enough for them to survive a defeat. Ashwin and Jadeja had spun a web taking 14 wickets in that Test to hand the Proteas a thrashing.

Eight victories over 300 runs margin for India in Tests

India have a staggering eight wins of over 300 runs margin in Tests with six out of those seven coming post 2010. Also, six out of India’s seven biggest victories have come under the leadership of Virat Kohli. India grabbed their fourth-largest win against the Kangaroos also at home when they defeated Ricky Ponting’s team by 320 runs in Mohali.

Team India’s first biggest away victory, fifth overall, was against the Caribbean side by 318 runs in the year 2019. Captain Kohli led India to their sixth-largest victory this year against England in Chennai when Joe Root and his men were outclassed by 317 runs. The Asian giant’s last victory of over 300 runs margin came against the Lankan lions in their own backyard by 304 runs in the year 2017.

The only two wins which didn’t come in the 21^st Century were against South Africa by 280 runs in Kanpur in 1996 and against England by 279 runs in Leeds in 1986. KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane’s centuries and R Ashwin’s wickets in the 2015 Colombo Test gave India their tenth biggest win by 278 runs. India, under Virat Kohli, would like to continue their dominance in the Tests and especially at home where visiting teams just don’t have an answer to them. With a 1-0 series victory over the Kiwis, India now has also won 14 consecutive series victories at home.

Biggest victories for India by runs in Tests: