Image: All of India's victories in Test matches in England / © ESPNcricinfo
India’s cricket team first toured England in 1932, and over nearly a hundred years, they’ve played there often but won only nine Test matches. They’ve managed just three series victories, in 1971, 1986, and 2007. The first big win was in 1971 at The Oval, with Ajit Wadekar as captain. Then, in 1986, Kapil Dev led India to wins at Lord’s and Leeds. In 2002, Sourav Ganguly’s team smashed England by an innings at Leeds. Rahul Dravid captained India to a series win in 2007 at Nottingham.
| Margin | Ground | Start Date | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 wickets | The Oval | August 19, 1971 | Ajit Wadekar |
| 5 wickets | Lord’s | June 5, 1986 | Kapil Dev |
| 279 runs | Leeds | June 19, 1986 | Kapil Dev |
| Innings & 46 runs | Leeds | August 22, 2002 | Sourav Ganguly |
| 7 wickets | Nottingham | July 27, 2007 | Rahul Dravid |
| 95 runs | Lord’s | July 17, 2014 | MS Dhoni |
| 203 runs | Nottingham | August 18, 2018 | Virat Kohli |
| 151 runs | Lord’s | August 12, 2021 | Virat Kohli |
| 157 runs | The Oval | September 2, 2021 | Virat Kohli |
Later, MS Dhoni got a win at Lord’s in 2014, and Virat Kohli led India to three more victories, at Nottingham in 2018, Lord’s in 2021, and The Oval in 2021. These wins show how tough it is for India to succeed in England’s conditions. Now, with Shubman Gill leading the team, fans are hopeful he can add a 10th Test win. Will Gill rise to the occasion and join the list of legendary captains? Everyone’s waiting to see what happens next.
August 19, 1971, was huge! India finally won a Test in England at The Oval. Not just a win, as they grabbed the whole series! Back then, nobody thought India could pull this off. England started strong, scoring around 350, with Alan Knott smashing 90 and Richard Hutton adding a solid 81. Eknath Solkar, this quiet guy, took three wickets to keep India in the game. India’s batting was okay, hitting about 280, with Ajit Wadekar’s 48 and Farokh Engineer’s quick 59. England’s Ray Illingworth was a pain, taking five wickets.
But the real drama? England’s second innings. They totally fell apart, scoring just 101! Bhagwath Chandrasekhar was like a magician, grabbing 6 wickets for peanuts. India needed 173 to win, and it got tense, but they made it to 174/6, with Wadekar’s 45 and Dilip Sardesai’s 40 steering the ship. On August 24, 1971, when that final run came, Indian fans lost it, and it was pure joy!
June 5, 1986, at Lord’s, the big stage. England batted first, getting close to 300, with Graham Gooch blasting 114. Chetan Sharma was the hero, snagging five wickets to stop them running away. India hit back with 340-ish, thanks to Dilip Vengsarkar’s awesome 126 not out. Mohinder Amarnath added a cool 69. England’s second innings was a flop, just 180, with Kapil Dev bowling like a beast for 4 wickets and Maninder Singh spinning out 3.
Chasing 134, India took it easy, finishing at 136/5. Vengsarkar chipped in with 33, and Kapil’s quick 23 sealed it. Kapil got Player of the Match for being a total legend. On June 10, 1986, India’s first Lord’s win had fans going wild.
Two weeks later, on June 19, 1986, India was on fire again at Leeds. They batted first, scraping about 270, with Vengsarkar’s 61 keeping things steady. England? Total disaster as they were bowled out for 102! Roger Binny was unreal, taking 5 wickets, and Madan Lal grabbed 3. India’s second innings was bossed by Vengsarkar’s unbeaten 102, setting England a massive 400-plus to chase.
And while batting, they crashed to 128, with Maninder Singh’s 4 wickets and Kapil’s 2 wrapping it up. Vengsarkar was the star, getting Player of the Match. This huge win on June 23, 1986, gave India a 2-0 series lead.
It took 16 years for India’s next big win in England, and boy, was it worth the wait. On August 22, 2002, at Leeds, India put on a batting masterclass, piling up 628/8 declared. Sachin Tendulkar’s 193 was pure magic, Rahul Dravid’s 148 was rock-solid, and Sourav Ganguly’s 128 was all swagger. England’s Andy Caddick took three wickets but was helpless against the onslaught. England managed just 273, with Alec Stewart’s unbeaten 78 and Anil Kumble’s 3 for 93 keeping India in charge.
Forced to follow on, England fought with Nasser Hussain’s 110, but Kumble’s 4 for 66 and Sanjay Bangar’s 2 for 54 wrapped it up for a massive innings-and-46-run win on August 26, 2002. Dravid got the Player of the Match for his marathon knock. Fans couldn’t stop talking about this one, it was India showing the world they meant business.
July 27, 2007, at Nottingham, India snapped a five-year wait for another England win. England batted first but tanked at under 200, with Zaheer Khan’s 4 wickets causing havoc. India piled on nearly 500, with Sachin Tendulkar’s 91, Sourav Ganguly’s 79, and Dinesh Karthik’s 77 shining.
Monty Panesar took 4 wickets for England. England fought back in their second innings, hitting 350-ish, with Michael Vaughan’s 124 and Paul Collingwood’s 63, but Zaheer’s 5 wickets and Kumble’s 3 kept India on top. Chasing just 73, India got there with 73/3, Wasim Jaffer and Karthik both scoring 22. Zaheer’s nine wickets earned him Player of the Match. On July 31, 2007, this win gave India a 1-0 lead, and fans were hyped.
On July 17, 2014, India rocked Lord’s again in the second Test. They scored around 290, with Ajinkya Rahane’s 103 a total gem. James Anderson took 4 wickets for England. England hit back with 320-ish, Gary Ballance’s 110 matched by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s awesome 6 wickets.
India’s second innings got to 340, with Murali Vijay’s 95 and Ravindra Jadeja’s feisty 68 setting a 319 target. England fell apart at 223, with Ishant Sharma’s insane 7 wickets, including Joe Root’s 66, stealing the show. Ishant got Player of the Match for that spell. This 95-run win on July 21, 2014, gave India a 1-0 lead.
August 18, 2018, at Nottingham, with Virat Kohli leading, India pulled off another big one. They scored 329, with Kohli’s 97 and Rahane’s 81 doing the job. England were awful, out for 161, as Hardik Pandya’s 5 wickets came out of nowhere. India’s second innings hit 352/7, with Kohli’s 103 and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 72 standing out.
England, chasing over 500, got to 317, with Jos Buttler’s 106 and Ben Stokes’ 62, but Jasprit Bumrah’s 5 wickets sealed a 203-run win. Kohli got the Player of the Match for his batting. On August 22, 2018, this kept India alive in the series, and fans were screaming, “Come on, India!”
August 12, 2021, and Lord’s was India’s again, their third win there! India scored 364, with KL Rahul’s gorgeous 129 and Rohit Sharma’s 83 setting things up. England got 391, Joe Root’s unbeaten 180 a masterpiece, but Mohammed Siraj’s 4 wickets kept India in it.
India’s second innings was 298/8, with Rahane’s 61 and Shami’s brave 56 not out. Chasing 272, England tanked to 120, with Siraj’s 4 and Bumrah’s 3 doing the damage. Rahul got Player of the Match for his ton. This 151-run win on August 16, 2021, gave India a 1-0 lead.
The ninth win came on September 2, 2021, at The Oval, 50 years after India’s first triumph there. India scraped 191, with Shardul Thakur’s quick 57 and Virat Kohli’s 50. England scored 290, with Ollie Pope’s 81 and Chris Woakes’ 50, but Umesh Yadav’s 3 for 76 kept them in check. India’s second innings soared to 466, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s stunning 127 and Pujara’s 61.
Chasing 368, England fell to 210, with Rory Burns’ 50 and Haseeb Hameed’s 63, but Jadeja’s 2 for 50 and Yadav’s 3 for 60 sealed a 157-run win. Rohit’s century got him the Player of the Match and this win on September 6, 2021, gave India a 2-1 lead, a fitting tribute to their 1971 heroes. These nine victories are more than just wins, they’re stories of India’s heart, fight, and talent shining through on England’s turf. From 1971 to 2021, each match is a chapter in a saga that makes every cricket fan proud.