India vs England Test Cricket: 90 Years of Rivalry

The Beginning: 1932 and India's Entry Into Test Cricket

India played their first-ever Test match against England at Lord's in June 1932 — a team representing an undivided, British-ruled India. England won convincingly by 158 runs. The early India teams were talented but lacked the collective depth to challenge England consistently. England won series after series through the 1930s and 1940s.

Despite this early dominance by England, a remarkable talent was already visible in the first generation of Indian Test cricketers: Vijay Merchant averaged over 47 in Tests, Vinoo Mankad was a genuine all-rounder of world quality, and C.K. Nayudu had long been regarded as one of India's finest batsmen.

India's First Overseas Test Victory Against England: 1971

The 1971 series in England is one of the most celebrated in Indian cricket history. Led by Ajit Wadekar and inspired by Sunil Gavaskar — in just his second series — India won a Test at The Oval by 4 wickets and drew the series, winning 1–0. It was India's first series victory in England. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar's leg-spin and Eknath Solkar's brilliant short-leg catching were defining features.

Gavaskar's Mastery vs England

Sunil Gavaskar's record against England is among the finest any batsman has compiled against a single opponent. In 38 Test innings against England he scored 2483 runs at an average of 65.34, including 10 hundreds. His 221 at The Oval in 1979 and 172 at Bangalore in 1981–82 stand among his finest innings. England never quite found the formula to dismiss him regularly.

India's Rise: The 1980s and Home Dominance

Through the early 1980s, India were extremely difficult to beat at home against England. The spinning surfaces of India suited the quartet of Kapil Dev (pace), Dilip Doshi, Ravi Shastri, and others. England's batsmen — accustomed to seaming English conditions — often struggled on Indian pitches. India won series at home in 1972–73, 1976–77, 1981–82, and 1984–85.

Classic Series: 2001–02 and the Tour That Changed Relations

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw competitive two-way battles. India's 1–0 series win in England in 2002 was notable for Sourav Ganguly's captaincy and Sachin Tendulkar's batting. England's 2001–02 tour of India produced high-scoring matches on flat pitches that revealed England's struggles in Asian conditions — a pattern that persisted for years.

The 2011 England Resurgence

England's 2011 series against India — when India were ranked world number one — produced one of the most startling series results of the modern era. England, under Andrew Strauss and with James Anderson leading an exceptional seam attack, won 4–0. Rahul Dravid's heroic 623 runs were a lone stand against an England bowling unit that exposed the Indian batting order systematically.

The result triggered a major review of Indian cricket. The 4–0 defeat was followed by another difficult tour in 2014. It confirmed a structural vulnerability in the Indian batting line-up against quality seam bowling in English conditions — a weakness that would not be fully addressed until the emergence of Virat Kohli as the dominant force in Indian batting.

Kohli's India: The 2018 Series and Beyond

The 2018 tour of England was a pivotal series. India, led by Kohli, travelled as genuine contenders for the first time in years. England won 4–1, but Kohli's 593 runs at 59.3 — including a brilliant hundred at Edgbaston and a match-winning performance at Lord's — established him as the dominant individual player in the series even as India lost.

The 2021–22 series — disrupted by COVID and spread across two separate trips — produced an extraordinary finish. India had led 2–1 and appeared on course to win in England for the first time since 2007, but the final Test at Edgbaston in July 2022 was won by England under the influence of the new 'Bazball' approach under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. England chased 378 to win on the final day.

Series Records at a Glance