When India Refused to Lose Thanks to Second Innings Heroics
Test cricket is considered the most challenging format of the game because, as the match progresses, batting becomes increasingly difficult for the players. However, there have been a few instances where the Indian team prevented a loss with its impressive tactics, batting even on the tough final-day pitches.
Although the current India tour of England is still in England’s favour, Team India still showcased an impressive fight in the fourth Test at Manchester. At one stage, what seemed to be an easy win for England finished as one of the finest draws made by the Indian cricket team in history.
India’s bowling line-up has considerably suffered over the past few years, especially in the overseas Test matches. These situations often put the team on the brink of losses, which may even result in pressure on the batsmen. However, there have been times when the batsmen were able to step up and ensure that they are not here to lose.
With the introduction of the World Test Championship in 2019, teams now focus on winning the Tests, and their intent has also changed. Earlier, the teams that were able to bat for days now consider playing aggressive shots to enhance their chances of winning. But there are still a few draw matches, which come out to be more intense.
These are the games where India, despite having low chances of winning, managed to end the game with a draw. The fourth Test between India and England was not just the only game where 2nd innings batting heroics saved the team from a loss. Let’s take a look at some matches where India’s second innings saved the team from losing.
India Tour of India 2025: 4th Test
The current India tour of England has now given some positive hopes to the Indian team, with the draw in the fourth Test. With England 2-1 up while entering the fourth Test, the team also won the toss yet again and decided to field first. India had an impressive start in this match, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul playing impactful knocks.
| England vs India, 4th Test, Old Trafford | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| India: 358 (114.1 Overs) | England: 669 (157.1 Overs) |
| Sai Sudharsan: 61 (151) | Joe Root: 150 (248) |
| Ben Stokes: 5/72 | Ravindra Jadeja: 4/143 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 425/4 (143 Overs) | |
| Ravindra Jadeja: 107* (185) | |
| Chris Woakes: 2/67 | |
| Match Drawn | |
Yashasvi Jaiswal (58), Sai Sudharsan (61), and Rishabh Pant (54) played some fine knocks, which helped India to finish with a score of 358 runs. Stokes finished with a five-wicket haul, and now it was time for his team to dominate with the bat. And England left no stone unturned to play with their Bazball intent.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had a 166-run opening stand, but were dismissed later. But their wickets were followed by centuries of Joe Root (150 off 248 balls) and Ben Stokes (141 off 198 balls). England ended up with their first innings score of 669, taking a massive lead of 311 runs, which made things a bit challenging for India.
When India stepped in to bat, Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over, taking the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. With the trail being of 311 runs, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul made an 188-run stand for the third wicket, as Rahul lost his wicket after scoring 90. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also smashed centuries, along with the skipper, Shubman Gill, which helped India to draw the game.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: 3rd Test
The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy forever remains historic for the Indian fans due to the Gabba win, and also the 2-1 series win. But only a few of them remember the fight given by the Indian batsmen in the third Test. This match was being played in Sydney, and Australia, after winning the toss, decided to bat first.
| Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Sydney | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| Australia: 338 (105.4 Overs) | India: 244 (100.4 Overs) |
| Steven Smith: 131 (226) | Shubman Gill: 50 (101) |
| Ravindra Jadeja: 4/62 | Pat Cummins: 4/29 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| Australia: 312/6d (87 Overs) | India: 334/5 (131 Overs) |
| Cameron Green: 84 (132) | Rishabh Pant: 97 (118) |
| Navdeep Saini: 2/54 | Josh Hazlewood: 2/39 |
| Match Drawn | |
Steven Smith scored 131 runs off 226 balls, as Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne scored half-centuries to help Australia reach 338 runs in the first innings. When it was India’s chance to bat, the team was unfortunately not able to use the opportunities well, and got all out at the score of 244. Only Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara managed to score half-centuries.
Australia already had a 94-run lead while entering its second innings, and with the impressive performances of Cameron Green, Steven Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, the team scored 312 runs for the loss of 6 wickets before declaring. India now had to chase down the massive target of 407 to take a 2-1 lead.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave an impressive start, as the Hitman smashed a half-century. But, with quick wickets, India stood down at the score of 102 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Cheteshwar Pujara (77) and Rishabh Pant (97) gave the upper hand to the team, but with their wickets, the chances of winning got slim. However, Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari managed to take the game to a historic draw.
India Tour of South Africa 2013-14: 1st Test
Playing in South Africa has been a lot challenging for the Indian players, as the team has not managed to win a Test series against them in a long time. During the first Test of the 2013/14 tour, India decided to bat first, considering the pitch conditions at Johannesburg. This decision helped the team as they managed to score 280 runs in the first innings.
| South Africa vs India, 1st Test, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| India: 280 (103 Overs) | South Africa: 244 (75.3 Overs) |
| Virat Kohli: 119 (181) | Graeme Smith: 68 (119) |
| Vernon Philander: 4/61 | Ishant Sharma: 4/79 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 421 (120.4 Overs) | South Africa: 450/7 (136 Overs) |
| Cheteshwar Pujara: 153 (270) | Faf du Plessis: 134 (309) |
| Vernon Philander: 3/68 | Mohammed Shami: 3/107 |
| Match Drawn | |
Virat Kohli smashed 119 runs off 181 balls, which helped the team reach this mark. When South Africa came to bat, only Graeme Smith (68) and Vernon Philander (59) were able to score half-centuries, as the team managed to put just 244 runs on the board. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma took 4 wickets each, as India entered its second innings with a lead.
This time again, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara had played a perfect knock to help the team reach a stable score of 421. In this, Pujara scored 153 runs off 270 balls and Kohli scored 96 runs off 193 balls, taking time to ensure that the match, which could have been lost, ended up with a draw.
The plan worked well for the Indian team, as the bowlers were able to bowl out all the overs of the remaining play. South Africa scored just 450 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, being just 8 runs short of the target to secure a win. Only Mohammed Shami was able to dominate with the ball, taking 3 wickets.
India vs England 2016: 1st Test
India’s home Tests have always been interesting, and whenever the team goes against England, the intensity grows even more. In 2016, England visited India for a four-match Test series, which started with the first Test being at Rajkot. England decided to bat first, and this decision helped the team as they ended up scoring 537 runs.
| India vs England, 1st Test, Rajkot | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| England: 537 (159.3 Overs) | India: 488 (162 Overs) |
| Ben Stokes: 128 (235) | Murali Vijay: 126 (301) |
| Ravindra Jadeja: 3/86 | Adil Rashid: 4/114 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| England: 260/3d (75.3 Overs) | India: 172/6 (52.3 Overs) |
| Alastair Cook: 130 (243) | Virat Kohli: 49* (98) |
| Amit Mishra: 2/60 | Adil Rashid: 3/64 |
| Match Drawn | |
Joe Root (124 runs off 180 balls), Moeen Ali (117 runs off 213 balls), and Ben Stokes (128 runs off 235 balls) played a crucial role in the team’s score. Coming out to bat, India also gave a perfect response, as the team ended up scoring an impressive total of 488 runs, falling just short of taking a lead. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara smashed centuries, which played a crucial role in this match.
Later, when England had to set up a target for the Indian team, India’s bowlers failed to perform well. As a result, England was able to post a total of 260 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, before they decided to declare. Now, India had to chase down the target of 310 runs, and with the home ground advantage, it seemed easy. But what was about to come next came in as an unexpected nightmare for India’s batting line-up.
The team did not have a good start, as they stood at the score of 71 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. But Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja took the lead later on, and looked well set, even after the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha. Kohli, who stood at the score of 49, was approached by Alastair Cook to draw the match, and despite being close to a personal milestone, he decided to call off the match for a draw.
These matches not only show the depth of the Indian team’s batting line-up, but also the capability of the middle-order and lower-order batsmen to ensure that the match is not lost. Even if the top order fails to perform. The Old Trafford Test, which took place recently, could have been a win for England if India’s star batsmen hadn’t stepped up at the right time.
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