India's top 5 moments in Tests

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  • Rahul Dravid celebrates after India's win in Adelaide in 2003

    When India kick off their Test series against New Zealand on September 22, it will be a historic moment for the team.

    India will become only the fourth nation after Australia, England and the West Indies to play 500 Tests.

    Since playing their first Test in 1932 against England, cricket became a sport that India went on to love like no other.

    On this special occasion, we take a trip down memory lane and look at five special moments in India’s rich Test cricket history.

    MADRAS, 1952

    India’s first Test victory back in 1952 was a momentous occasion which is still remembered fondly by fans to this day. Trailing 0-1 in the series against England, India went into the fifth Test at Madras desperate for a win.

    The Indian team management showed intent by making as many as five changes to the side for this match.

    England managed to score 266 in the first innings but were left bamboozled by an incredible spell by Vinoo Mankad. Finishing with figures of 8 for 58 in the first innings, he terrorised the English batsmen and set the game up beautifully.

    India replied with a strong 457 in the first innings thanks to centuries from Vijay Hazare and Polly Umrigar.

    The burden of the huge first innings deficit saw England struggle to recover as they were eventually bowled out for a paltry 183 in their second innings.

    Mankad took four wickets in the second innings to finish the match with 12 scalps to his credit. India won the match by an innings and eight runs.

    It was a very special occasion as it had taken them 20 years and 25 Tests to record their first ever win.

    PORT OF SPAIN, 1971

    India’s victory at Port of Spain on 10 March, 1971 was special because it was their first Test win against the mighty West Indies at the time. Prior to that, India had drawn 11 Tests and lost 12 against them.

    It was the second Test in the series and the match witnessed the debut of the 21-year-old Sunil Gavaskar who would dominate Indian cricket for years to come.

    Gavaskar scored 65 in his debut innings and ultimately fell to Jack Noreiga who took 9 for 95 in the first innings.

    In reply to the Windies’ 214, India scored 352, taking a crucial first innings lead. Dilip Sardesai played a solid knock in the middle order scoring 112 and setting up the match to India’s advantage.

    The West Indies scored 261 in the second innings as their batsmen fell to Venkataraghavan’s brilliance who came up with a match-winning spell of 5 for 95.

    Chasing a target of 124, Gavaskar was once again in flow in the second innings as he remained unbeaten on 67 to see India through to their first win against the West Indies.

    India went on to draw the remaining three Tests to claim the series 1-0. Gavaskar had an unreal debut series as he scored 774 runs with four hundreds at an average of 154.80 in the series.

    Port of Spain incidentally witnessed another of India’s best ever Test wins five years later in 1976 when India in the third Test on that tour, successfully chased down a mammoth target of 406 in the fourth innings.

    Gavaskar was once again the hero with a scintillating century while Gundappa Viswanath was the other centurion in that innings. India went on to win the match with six wickets in hand in the end.

    KOLKATA, 2001

    For young cricket fans who had started watching the game in the ’90s, India’s win at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2001 will be forever etched in their memories.

    It was a match that seemed magical and reiterated the fact that cricket is a sport of glorious uncertainty.

    The mighty Aussies led by Steve Waugh were on a roll having won 16 Test matches on the trot and decimated India within three days in the first Test at Mumbai.

    In the second Test, in reply to the Australian total of 445, India were bowled out for 171 in their first innings.

    In the second innings, the Indian batsmen put up stiff resistance but it did not seem to be enough. At 232 for 4, India seemed to be staring down the barrel when Rahul Dravid walked in to join VVS. Laxman.

    It was then that the fairy tale was scripted as the duo stitched together one of the most memorable partnerships in cricket history.

    They struck a partnership of 376 and batted throughout the day without losing a wicket as the Aussies were left frustrated. Laxman finished on 281 while Dravid scored 180, and India declared at 657 for 7 in the second innings.

    Chasing 384 for victory, Australia succumbed to pressure as a young Harbhajan Singh ran through the Aussie line-up. After picking up a hat-trick in the first innings, he ended with figures of 6 for 73 in the second essay that won the game for India.

    The Aussies were eventually bowled out for 212 and that halted their run of 16 Test wins on the trot. India scripted another famous victory in Chennai in the third Test to go on to clinch the series against one of the greatest teams of all time.

    ADELAIDE, 2003

    Playing the mighty Australians always brought out the best among the Indian cricketers during that period as over two years later, they recorded a famous victory Down Under.

    Beating the Australians during that period was always special and even more so if it was achieved in their very own backyard.

    India went into the second Test at Adelaide in 2003 with the first match drawn. Australia scored 556 in the first innings thanks to a mammoth knock of 242 by Ricky Ponting.

    India responded in kind, scoring 523 and falling just short of the Aussie total.

    The heroes for India were once again Dravid and Laxman who stitched together a mammoth partnership. Laxman was at his imperial best and scored a brilliantly compiled 148.

    Dravid played a workman-like knock and was the last man out after scoring 233.

    It was then that Ajit Agarkar produced one of the most memorable spells to bowl out the Aussies for 196 in the second innings. His 6 for 41 put India in a commanding position with 230 to chase in the fourth innings.

    There were a few flutters in the run chase but it was once again Dravid, with his masterful 72, who saw the Indians through.

    When he broke into celebration, rather uncharacteristically, at the end, it showed how much the victory meant to the Indian team.

    SERIES WIN IN PAKISTAN, 2004

    India’s 2003-04 tour to Pakistan was special because after a long break, cricketing ties were re-established as a measure to better diplomatic relationship between the two nations. India had won the keenly fought ODI series 3-2 and come into the Test series with a lot of confidence.

    India recorded a win in the first Test at Multan which was set up by a brilliant triple century by Virender Sehwag. A huge first innings total of 675 ensured that Pakistan had to follow on and they eventually lost the match by an innings and 52 runs.

    The second match was however a different story. Pakistan scored 489 in reply to India’s 287 to take a strong first innings lead.

    Another poor batting performance from the Indians in the second innings left Pakistan with only 40 runs to chase in the fourth innings.

    The hosts won the second match in the series with nine wickets in hand to level the series 1-1. The only silver lining for India in this match was a fighting century from Yuvraj Singh in the first innings who had been brought in as a replacement for the injured skipper Sourav Ganguly.

    India, however, came back strong in the third Test. After bowling Pakistan out for 224 in the first innings, India responded with a total of 600 in the first innings.

    Dravid was at his imperial best as he scored 270 to form the backbone of the Indian innings.

    Faced with a huge deficit, Pakistan could only score 245 as they lost by an innings and 131 runs. India went on to have a successful tour to Pakistan in 2003-04 as they won both the ODI and Test series.

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