Edgbaston in 2018, Hyderabad in 2024 – ranking the 7 best Test matches of all time between England and India
Contests between England and India have produced countless classics, matches that will live on in our memories.
Below, we share our top seven contests between the two sides.
This is an interesting top seven list of Test cricket humdingers between England and India.
7. Chennai, 2008
It doesn’t happen often, but it happened in 2008. Sachin Tendulkar played the paddle to bring up his century and also India’s winning runs. It was an improbable victory. England took control of the match with a brilliant first innings century from Andrew Strauss, supported by half-centuries from Alistair Cook and Matt Prior.
Kevin Pietersen, who captained that side, marshalled his bowling attack well and dismissed for 241, 75 runs short of England’s first innings tally. Strauss and Paul Collingwood scored 216 runs between them, each contributing 108 runs to the total as they set India a 387-run target for victory.
According to history, this was a lost cause for India. Never had a target of over 300 been chased down in India in the last innings, and 155 was the highest successful chase in Chennai. Sachin Tendulkar bucked history and scythed an unbeaten 103 in the fourth innings to shepherd India to victory.
What made the victory more special was that it came immediately in the aftermath of the November 25 terrorist attack. It was bigger than the game.
6. Chennai, 1952
This could have been number one on the list. It is not because it did not capture the nation’s consciousness as India’s incredible victory over England. India was a Test-playing nation for 20 years before they registered their first victory over England.
Vinoo Mankad inspired India to their maiden Test win over England with a haul of 8/55 in the first innings as India skittled England out for 266. The hosts stamped their authority on the match with a total of 457/9d. Pankaj Roy and Polly Umriger carved centuries, and Mankad scored a half-century.
Mankad took 4/53 in the third innings as India romped to a victory by an innings and eight runs. They did not look like the side that repeatedly lost to England in preceding years.
5. Mumbai, 2012
For a long time, England walked into its encounters against India as favourites. They lived up to the billing most of the time. This match comes in at third because England came into the contest as underdogs and turned the tables on their hosts.
Kevin Pietersen was a problem when he was at his best because he bludgeoned pace and spin with equal dominance. In 2012, England arrived in Mumbai to face an Indian side that was increasingly becoming unbeatable at home. The hosts had little trouble on their way to a nine-wicket win in the first Test.
They sauntered into the second Test confident that their spinners would do the job over the tourists. Instead, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann shared 19 wickets in the match as they outspun the hosts. Pietersen took the game away with the bat, playing what is considered his greatest innings for England, 186 off 233 balls.
4. Chepauk, 2021
Joe Root has scored six double hundreds in his storied Test career. However, his 218 against India in 2021 is probably his best. Not his highest, but his best. Root put on a masterclass on how to bat in Indian conditions.
While Root’s double ton was a catalyst for the victory, it wasn’t the only reason why England won. It was the cherry on top. The visitors delivered a perfect performance; James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, and Dom Bess put in an incredible shift with the ball to set England up for victory.
This match could have been in third place, however, Panesar and Swann’s heroics pushed the 2008 England victory to third place.
3. Hyderabad 2024
This is a definite top-five match. The biggest question was whether it could supersede the Kevin Pietersen- and Joe Root-inspired England victories.
Bazball made its way into the cricket lexicon in 2022 when Andrew Miller used it to describe England’s fearless brand of cricket under the leadership of Brendon McCullum. Between 2022 and 2024, McCullum and his Ben Stokes-captained side collected wins from other teams, but had yet to be tested by India in India when they arrived in Hyderabad.
England was the laughing stock of the cricket world after they bazballed their way to a meagre 246 in the first innings. India replied with a commanding 436. Unperturbed, England stuck to their guns and employed bazball in the third innings. Ollie Pope smashed a masterful 196 that helped England tilt the game in their favour, before Tom Hartley took an improbable 7/62 to help England secure a 28-run win.
2. London, 1979
England went in to bat first and were carried to a first-innings total of 305 by half-centuries from Graham Gooch and Peter Willey. Ian Botham, Bob Willis, and Mike Hendrick pressed home England’s advantage by helping restrict India to 202.
The hosts went into the third innings with a comfortable 103-run lead and added 334/8d to swell their lead to 437. An England win looked certain before Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan compiled a 213-run first-wicket partnership, and suddenly the most unlikely of wins looked possible. Victory for India seemed certain when Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar reached 366/1. They now needed 76 runs in 12 overs to secure a famous win.
Then the wheels came off for India as England fought back with the ball. Phil Edmonds dismissed Vengsarkar, and his replacement, Kapil Dev, who did not last an over. Yashpal Sharma stuck around for a bit while Ian Botham accounted for Gavaskar, Yajurvindra Singh and Yashpal Sharma. Willey dismissed Viswanath.
Bharath Reddy and Karsan Ghavri did well not to lose their wickets, but India agonisingly finished nine runs short of the target.
1. Edgbaston, 2018
No list of memorable matches featuring India and England is complete without a Virat Kohli special. In 2018, Kohli was captain of the India team, and he played the cliche captain’s knock. He top-scored for India with 97 in the first innings to lead India to 329. Hardik Pandya made things tougher for the hosts with a five-wicket haul when England came out to bat.
Kohli creamed a brilliant century in the second innings as India increased their lead. All seemed lost for England until Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes joined forces to fight back with a 169-run fifth-wicket partnership that gave England hope for a positive result.
The idea of England rising from the ashes died when Jasprit Bumrah accounted for Buttler. The pacer finished with a five-wicket haul and India registered a famous win in England.
