3 most entertaining India-England Test series ft. 2021-22

India will face England in a grueling five-match Test series, which will be played from January 25 to March 11. The series will begin with opening Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25-29. The remaining Tests of the India-England series will be held in Visakhapatnam (February 2-6), Rajkot (February 15-19), Ranchi (February 23-27) and Dharamsala (March 7-11).

If we look at the head-to-head results of the two sides, they have so far featured in 131 Tests, with England winning 50 and India 31. The remaining 50 matches between the two teams have ended in a draw. In home conditions, India have won 22 out of 64 matches, while England have won 14. As many as 28 Test have ended in a draw.

Looking at results of the last 10 India-England Test series’, both the teams have won four each, while two series’ have ended in a draw. As the two sides prepare to renew their rivalry, we look back at three of the most entertaining India-England Test series'.

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#3 (2005-06)

Shaun Udal’s four-fer stunned India in the 2005-06 Mumbai Test. (Pic: Getty Images)

The 2005-06 series in India was closely contested and a 1-1 scoreline was a fair reflection of how things panned out. After the first Test in Nagpur ended in a draw, the hosts took the 1-0 lead by clinching the second Test in Mohali by nine wickets. Leg-spinner Anil Kumble was the star of the show, with nine wickets and 32 runs.

Kumble claimed 5/76 in the first innings as England were held to 300 after deciding to bat first. India responded with 338 as Rahul Dravid top-scored with 95. For England, Andrew Flintoff chipped in with four wickets.

India’s bowlers came up with an excellent second-innings effort to bowl out the Englishmen for 181. Munaf Patel and Kumble claimed four wickets each. Chasing 144, Team India cruised home as Virender Sehwag smashed 76* off 89 balls.

The hosts would have been confident after a great performance in Mohali, but England hit back strongly to draw the series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A brilliant 128 from Andrew Strauss saw England post 400 batting first. James Anderson then claimed 4/40 as India responded with 279.

A four-fer from Kumble saw England being bowled out for 191 in their second innings. However, chasing 313, India shockingly crumbled to 100 all out. Off-spinner Shaun Udal (4/14) was the surprise hero for the visitors, while Flintoff also starred with three scalps.

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#2 (1971)

This tour was historic since India won their first Test as well as series in England in 1971. The visitors managed to eke out a draw in the first Test at Lord’s. Batting first, England recovered from 71/5 to post 304 as John Snow scored 73. For India, Bishan Singh Bedi claimed four wickets and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar three.

India replied with a competitive 313 as skipper Ajit Wadekar top-scored with 85, while Gundappa Viswanath (68) and Eknath Solkar (67) made crucial contributions. In the second innings, Srinivas Venkataraghavan starred with 4/52 as England were bowled out for 191. Set to chase 183, India stumbled to 142/8, but hung on for a draw.

The second Test played in Manchester also ended in a draw. England captain Ray Illingworth scored a hundred in the first innings, while opener Brian Luckhurst scored a ton in the second. For India, Syed Abid Ali starred with 4/64 in England's first innings.

It all came down to the third and final Test at The Oval, where India created history, registering a hard-fought four-wicket win. England batted first and put up a decent 355 on the board, after which they restricted India to 284.

Chandrasekhar, however, turned the Test match on its head, claiming 6/38 in the second innings to bowl out England for 101. The hosts looked all the sea against his guile. Set to chase 173, India got home courtesy of good contributions from skipper Wadekar (45), Dilip Sardesai (40), Viswanath (33) and Farokh Engineer (28*).

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#1 (2021-22)

Mohammed Siraj was sensational in the 2021-22 Lord’s Test. (Pic: Getty Images)

The 2021-22 series in England was a highly entertaining one, played between two extremely strong sides. After a rain hampered first Test in Nottingham ended in a draw, India took the lead with a famous 151-run triumph at Lord’s.

KL Rahul set the tone with a sublime 129 in India’s first innings, while Mohammed Siraj was outstanding with eight wickets in the match. His second-innings spell of 4/32, to go with Jasprit Bumrah’s 3/33, saw England being bowled out for 120 in a chase of 272.

England fought back brilliantly to hammer India by an innings and 76 runs in the third Test in Leeds. The English bowlers ripped through India’s batting as they folded up for 78 in the first innings. A hundred from Joe Root saw the hosts post 432, after which India were out for 278 in their second innings; Ollie Robinson starring with 5/65.

India again took the lead with a 157-run victory at The Oval. England’s bowlers did exceptionally well to bowl out the visitors for 191 in the first innings, after which they replied with 290. A Rohit Sharma special (127 off 256), however, saw India post 466 in their second innings. Chasing a target of 368, England were bowled out for 210 as the Indian bowlers came up with a great team effort.

The fifth Test was rescheduled due to COVID-19 and was eventually played in Birmingham when India visited England again. Hundreds from Rishabh Pant (146) and Ravindra Jadeja (104) helped the visitors recover from 98/5 to post 416. Jasprit Bumrah, who captaining in the Test, also chipped in with 31* off 16, smashing a record 29 runs in an over from Stuart Broad.

Siraj’s four-fer held England to 284 despite Jonny Bairstow’s 106. Skipper Ben Stokes then picked up four wickets as the Englishmen restricted India to 245 in their second innings.

Defending a target of 378, Team India were favorites to win the Test. However, ‘Bazball’ came to the fore as Root (142* off 173) and Bairstow (114* off 145) stunned India. England gunned down the target in 76.4, with seven wickets in hand, to square the series 2-2.