3 similarities between England's win vs India and West Indies' win vs Australia 

January 28, 2024, will be remembered as an enthralling day for Test cricket as we witnessed two sensational results in different parts of the world. Both matches saw the visitors upstage their relatively stronger hosts through a superb display of grit and commitment.

In Hyderabad, England secured a historic Test victory against India, while the West Indies defied the odds to triumph over Australia at the Gabba.

The Ben Stokes-led side came from behind and stunned the Indian crowd by handing the home side only their third loss since 2017.

The West Indies, meanwhile, did the unthinkable in a nail-biting game against the Aussies. Defending 215 in the fourth innings, West Indies bundled out Australia for 207, registering their first Test win on Australian soil in 27 years.

Both the Test matches started at the same time (9:30 IST), on the same day (January 25), and were also completed in the third session of Day 4.

These two incredible cricket matches, played thousands of miles apart, shared some more striking similarities that captivated the cricketing world.

Here are three of those similarities between England's win against India and the West Indies' triumph against Australia in January 2024.

---

#3 Both matches involved two run-outs each

India v England - 1st Test Match: Day Four

A run-out is the most unfortunate or reckless, depending on the situation, mode of dismissal in cricket. They are rare in Test cricket given the lack of urgency for quick runs, and thus, can be even more disappointing and game-changing.

Both India and the West Indies endured two run-outs each in their respective matches. Firstly, Ravichandran Ashwin was left way short of his crease when he was involved in a horrible mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings.

India's second run-out, meanwhile, came in the worst possible situation in the second innings as they lost Jadeja, who scored 87 in the first innings.

The southpaw tried to sneak in a quick single when India desperately needed a partnership, but Ben Stokes' incredible fielding effort saw Jadeja lose his wicket for just two runs. India were reduced to 119/6 as they chased 231 in the second innings.

As for the West Indies, Kemar Roach lost his wicket after a mix-up with Kevin Sinclair in the first innings. Roach looked solid during his 40-ball stay.

In the second innings, however, a runout occurred due to agile work from Travis Head. Fielding at short leg, Head collected the ball and ran out Kavem Hodge, who unintentionally came out of his crease while defending the ball.

---

#2 Both the hosts saw 3 half-centuries but no centuries in their first innings

India v England - 1st Test Match: Day Two

Converting your starts into big scores becomes even more critical in Test cricket. Both Indian and Australian batters were guilty of wasting their starts in the first innings of their respective matches.

India, especially, feel that they should have scored 60–70 runs more in the first innings.Jaiswal, after getting a superb start on Day 1, added just four runs to his overnight score of 76.

KL Rahul gave his wicket away by handling Rehan Ahmed a catch on the boundary line after scoring 86 runs. Meanwhile, Jadeja was also dismissed for 87 by Joe Root.

Australia, on the other hand, were in all sorts of trouble in their first innings as they lost half of their team with only 54 runs on the board. Alex Carey's counter-attacking 65-run knock brought the hosts back into the contest. Usman Khawaja scored a composed 75.

Skipper Pat Cummins also played a crucial innings as he remained unbeaten at 64.

---

#1 A 24-year-old taking a 7-fer in the fourth innings in their debut series

Shamar Joseph (L) and Tom Hartley (R)

Undoubtedly, the most striking similarity between the two games was the spectacular bowling efforts by young bowlers in the fourth innings. Both matches saw a 24-year-old bowling their hearts out and taking a seven-wicket haul in the fourth innings in their debut series.

While it was Tom Hartley for England, the West Indies' Shamar Joseph stole the show at The Gabba.

Taking seven wickets in an innings against top-quality batting units like India and Australia is extremely difficult, let alone achieving the feat in your debut Test series.

However, both Hartley and Joseph showed their mettle on the grandest stage and won the match for their respective countries.

After getting hit for 131 runs in 25 overs in the first innings, Hartley adjusted his bowling quite significantly and finished the second innings with figures of 26.2-5-62-7.

Joseph, meanwhile, had hurt himself while batting during West Indies' second innings and his participation in the final innings was in doubt. However, the Caribbean pacer came at full tilt against Australia and took 7/68 in only his second Test appearance.