Image: India has established its dominance in both home and away Tests / © ESPNcricinfo
The Indian Test team has reached a new level of dominance in the 21st century. A team that used to struggle even while winning the home series is now able to give a fight in overseas Tests. There was a time in Indian cricket history when even winning a Test match overseas was considered a massive achievement.
Conditions in countries such as South Africa, Australia, England, and New Zealand were marked as the toughest for Indian players, as most of the time, the team was not even able to give a fight. But the Indian team has changed a lot over the past few years, backed by a top-class batting line-up and impressive bowlers.
One major change that the Indian team has gone through over the past few years is the change in mindset. Earlier, the team, which used to play for draws, can now take 20 wickets in a Test match, which has helped to establish dominance even in away Test matches. Let’s take a look at the countries against whom India last secured a Test series win.
The last time India secured a Test series win in England was in 2007, which came under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. The first Test match of this series was being played at Lord’s, where England decided to bat first. The team had almost won this match, but India’s batting line-up helped to end the game in a draw.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match (POTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19–23 July 2007 | 1st Test | Lord’s | Match drawn | Kevin Pietersen |
| 27–31 July 2007 | 2nd Test | Trent Bridge | India won by 7 wickets | Zaheer Khan |
| 9–13 August 2007 | 3rd Test | The Oval | Match drawn | Anil Kumble |
The second Test match saw India’s dominance, as the team was able to defeat England, taking a lead in the series. This match was being played at Nottingham, where Zaheer Khan shone with the ball, as the Indian batters also showcased their class to secure a win. Zaheer Khan also took the Player of the Match award for his performances.
Now it was time for the ultimate Test, where England tried to secure a win. This match was being played at the Oval, and with the fight from the Indian batsmen, the team was able to end the game with a draw. Since this series, India has not managed to secure even a single series win in England in Tests.
The last time India defeated Australia in Australia was during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is also known as a historic series for the Indian team. In the first match, India did not have a good start, as the team was bowled out for 36 in the second innings, and Australia won the game by 8 wickets.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match (POTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17–19 Dec 2020 | 1st Test (D/N) | Adelaide Oval | Australia won by 8 wickets | Tim Paine |
| 26–29 Dec 2020 | 2nd Test | Melbourne Cricket Ground | India won by 8 wickets | Ajinkya Rahane |
| 7–11 Jan 2021 | 3rd Test | Sydney Cricket Ground | Match drawn | Steve Smith |
| 15–19 Jan 2021 | 4th Test | The Gabba | India won by 3 wickets | Rishabh Pant |
But in the second match, India was able to script a perfect comeback, defeating Australia in the Melbourne Test by 8 wickets. This was one of the best wins secured by India over Australia under the brilliance of Ajinkya Rahane. After losing the first Test match, Virat Kohli didn’t play the remainder of the series as Rahane led the side.
The third game was being played in Sydney, and Australia seemed close to winning the match. However, India’s batting line-up turned the tables and kept the match to a draw. After this, both teams met each other at the Gabba, where India secured a win by 3 wickets, marking a historic series win over Australia in an away Test series.
India secured its last Test series win in New Zealand back in 2009, which means it has been more than a decade since India won a series over there. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the last captain to help India win a Test series against the Kiwis at their home ground.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match (POTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–21 Mar 2009 | 1st Test | Seddon Park, Hamilton | India won by 10 wickets | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 26–30 Mar 2009 | 2nd Test | McLean Park, Napier | Match drawn | Jesse Ryder |
| 3–7 Apr 2009 | 3rd Test | Basin Reserve, Wellington | Match drawn | Gautam Gambhir |
The series started with the first match being at Hamilton, with India deciding to field first. With Sachin Tendulkar’s century and Harbhajan Singh’s quick wickets, India was able to secure an impressive 10-wicket victory in this match, starting the series with a win.
The next game was to be played at Napier, and both teams gave a good fight. As a result, the match ended in a draw, putting the stakes in the third game to decide the series outcome. India almost won this game too, as they gave New Zealand a target of 617, and put them at the score of 281/8, before the match was drawn.
South Africa remains the only country where India has not secured even a single Test series win. Various captains decided to conquer the Proteas at their home ground, but none of them have been successful in the same till now. Whether it is Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, or even Rohit Sharma, none of them were able to etch their names in the history books in this case.
| Series | Result | India’s Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | 1–1 | MS Dhoni |
| 2013–14 | 1–0 | MS Dhoni |
| 2017–18 | 2–1 | Virat Kohli |
| 2021–22 | 2–1 | Virat Kohli |
| 2023–24 | 1–1 | Rohit Sharma |
Taking a look at the previous Test series between India and South Africa, it ended up in a 1-1 draw, as South Africa won the first game while India won the second. Since the 2013-14 Test series, this was the first time India had drawn a series in South Africa.
One of the major reasons why fans consider that India has not defeated South Africa is that the series takes place over a smaller number of games. Although the team has been able to defeat the Proteas at their home ground in the limited-overs format, dominating them in Tests remains unachieved.
Against Pakistan, India has stopped playing Test matches due to political tensions between the two countries. However, when both teams used to play against each other, even in bilateral series, India was able to dominate over Pakistan even in the Test format, with the latest series win coming back in 2004.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match (POTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar – 1 Apr 2004 | 1st Test | Multan | India won by an innings and 52 runs | Virender Sehwag |
| 5–8 Apr 2004 | 2nd Test | Lahore | Pakistan won by 9 wickets | Umar Gul |
| 13–16 Apr 2004 | 3rd Test | Rawalpindi | India won by an innings and 131 runs | Rahul Dravid |
It all started with the first match of the three-match Test series being played at Multan, where India won the game by an innings and 52 runs. Not only their batsmen, but also the bowlers were able to dominate on the Pakistani pitches. However, the second match saw Pakistan script a comeback, as they won the match at Lahore by 7 wickets.
Now, it was all going down to the third game, which was to be played at Rawalpindi. Fortunately, India regained its form even after losing the second match, and they were able to defeat Pakistan by an innings and 131 runs. Virender Sehwag was the most dominant batsman of the series, scoring more than 400 runs in just 3 Tests.
Sri Lanka is another strong challenge for the Indian team, but they can tackle it well, being aware of the spin conditions. The last time India secured a Test series win in Sri Lanka came via a whitewash, in a three-match Test series which took place in 2017. This makes Virat Kohli the last Indian captain to win a Test series in Sri Lanka.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Player of the Match (POTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26–29 Jul 2017 | 1st Test | Galle International Stadium | India won by 304 runs | Shikhar Dhawan |
| 3–6 Aug 2017 | 2nd Test | Colombo (SSC) | India won by an innings and 53 runs | Ravindra Jadeja |
| 12–14 Aug 2017 | 3rd Test | Pallekele International Stadium | India won by an innings and 171 runs | Hardik Pandya |
In the first match, the Indian batsmen showcased their dominance over the Sri Lankan bowlers, which allowed the team to secure a win by 304 runs. India was further able to continue its momentum even in the second Test, where the team only batted in the first innings and went on to win by an innings and 53 runs.
With India having already won the series, they didn’t let the dominance stop, as both teams clashed against each other for the final Test at Pallekele. India won the last match of the series also by an innings and 171 runs, all thanks to the sheer dominance of India’s batsmen and spin attack.
Currently, India is playing a five-match series in England, and after four Tests, it stands in favour of the English team by 2-1. Although India won’t be able to secure a win in this series to mark its latest series win over England, it would still have the opportunity to draw the series against them like they did in 2021-22.