Five Times Indian Batters Outclassed England in Their Backyard — Part 1
Playing Tests in England has been favourable to the bowlers but more challenging for the batsmen, where they face swinging deliveries on green and moist pitches. However, there have been a few knocks played by Indian batters in England, which have changed the game forever, marking their name in the list of best knocks by Indians in England Tests.
Whenever India went on a tour to England, the bowlers have shone well, which is probably due to the bowler-friendly conditions. They get the required swing, plus the green and moist pitches play a crucial role for them to grab wickets for the team. However, the more advantage the bowler gets, the more challenging it gets for the batters.
Along with that, England’s bowling line-up has been known for having remarkable bowlers such as Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who have been generational stars. Playing good knocks against them at their home ground is considered a big challenge for almost every visiting batsman.
Still, there have been various Indian stars who have played exceptional knocks in the away matches against England. As India approaches its next tour against England, starting on 20 June, let’s take a look at some exceptional knocks by Indian batsmen in England.
KL Rahul — 149
In English conditions, only classy batsmen can stick for a long time, due to which KL Rahul’s knock is remembered by the fans in the India tour of England 2018. His century came in the final test when England started the match by scoring 332 runs in the first innings.
Responding to the same, India scored just 292, after which England’s batsmen continued their dominance against the Indian bowlers. At the end, the team declared at the score of 423, and India was given the target of 464 runs, which seemed almost impossible to chase down.
However, KL Rahul decided to go against the odds, as he played an exceptional knock, even when wickets were falling consistently at the other end. With Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli getting out in quick succession, Rahul stuck to the crease and showed his worth.
He scored 149 runs in 224 balls, with 20 fours and one six, and just when the Indian fans had the hope of winning the game, he lost his wicket to Adil Rashid. Such a magnificent innings by Rahul couldn’t help India win the last match of the series, as the team lost by 118 runs.
Virat Kohli — 149
The legendary captain of the Indian team in the white ball format led the team well in the Tests, scoring well with the bat. He faced a great challenge in the England tour 2018, which was also his first tour of England as a captain, and his stats were also not good on the English pitches.
Starting off with the first match at Edgbaston, England decided that they would be batting first. The Indian bowling line-up did well, restricting the team to a score of 287, with half-centuries by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Coming off to bat, it was sure that the Indian batters would be facing several challenges, and questions were on the form of Virat Kohli in England.
Kohli came to the crease at number 4, and despite wickets falling at the other end, he continued his onslaught against the England bowlers. His classic cover drives were elegant for the fans to watch, as Kohli ended up scoring 149 runs in 225 balls with 22 fours and one six.
Although his innings was great, India still finished at 274, as no other batsman was able to reach the 30-run mark. England posted a total of 194 runs for the team, which unfortunately India failed to chase by 31 runs. Virat Kohli also smashed a half-century in the second innings, silencing all the critics who were talking about his past form against England.
Rishabh Pant — 114
KL Rahul was not the only Indian batsman who dominated the English bowlers in the 2018 Nottingham Test, as he also received the support of Rishabh Pant. Indian bowlers surely faced a challenging time in the 5th Test, where the English batsmen seemed unbeatable.
After the Indian bowlers failed to take wickets constantly in the third innings, England decided to declare their innings at 423 for eight wickets. They had already received a lead of 40 runs after restricting India to 292 in the second innings. Now stood a bigger challenge for the Indian batsmen, which was to score 464 runs, if they wanted to win the last match of the series.
The team surely didn’t have a good start, with Kohli, Dhawan, and Pujara getting out within the first four overs. Rishabh Pant came in to bat at number 7, when Hanuma Vihari lost his wicket and India stood at the score of 121 for the loss of 5 wickets. With KL Rahul at the other end, Pant scored 114 runs off 146 deliveries, with 15 fours and 4 sixes, showcasing his strength.
However, this was not enough to help the Indian team win the match, as Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul both got out within 2 overs, putting the team down at 328 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. The lower order gave its best, but India fell short by 118 runs to reach the target.
Rohit Sharma — 127
The Hitman has also been known for his impressive knocks for the Indian team in the overseas Test matches. One such knock also came against England during the 2021-22 away series. In the 4th Test, India secured a dominant win over England, which was possible because of Rohit Sharma.
With the match being played at the Oval, India started off the first innings and were able to score just 191 runs. Virat Kohli and Shardul Thakur’s half-centuries played a crucial role, as no other batsmen were able to score. In response to the same, England ended up scoring 290, and India had to start with a trail of 99 runs.
But the Indian batsmen dominated in the third innings, where Rohit Sharma was the main character. The Hitman scored 127 runs in 256 balls, with 14 fours and one six, and this was also his first century in England in Tests. Pujara, Pant, and Shardul Thakur scored half-centuries, which helped India reach the score of 466.
England was given the target of 368 runs to chase, but the Indian bowlers shattered their batting line-up with ease. As a result, England got all out at the score of 210, and India won the match by 157 runs. Along with that, Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award for his century.
Ajinkya Rahane — 103
Ajinkya Rahane has been a major part of the Indian batting line-up for a long time in overseas Test matches. His involvement has been crucial at times when the batters failed to perform, and the team needed someone to stabilise the innings. He scored a magnificent knock in the 2nd Test of the England tour 2014.
The match was being played at Nottingham, and batting first, the Indian team didn’t get a good start. The Indian team lost three wickets at the score of 86, and with Virat Kohli going back to the pavilion, fans thought that it would be a low-scoring innings. At this time, Ajinkya Rahane came out to the crease and showcased his talent even in overseas matches.
When the other batters failed to perform, Rahane scored 103 runs off 154 balls, with 15 fours and one six, which played an important role in ensuring that India reached a good score. His 90-run stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar stands as an important partnership for the team, helping India to score 295 in the first innings.
Responding to the same, England scored 319, and India finished the third innings with a score of 342. England had the target of 319 to chase, but the team fell short by 95 runs. The only Indian batsman to shine in this game was Ajinkya Rahane, as he smashed a century against England when the top order failed to settle.
With the India tour of England starting on 20th June, it is time for the next generation batsmen such as Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and many more to take over, as fans are willing to watch them dominate on English soil.
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