IND VS ENG 2021: India’s 6 Test outings at Headingley

1979: Leeds' weather betrays

England elected to bat, and the weather washed off most of the first day. There was no play in the next two days. Ian Botham played a blinder on the fourth day as wickets tumbled for England at the other end. India batted on the fifth day without much drama as the Test ended in a draw.

Graham Gooch did provide some entertainment to the spectators in the final over of the Test by imitating popular bowling actions.

Brief scores

England 270 (Ian Botham 137; Kapil Dev 3/84) drew with India 223 for 6 (Sunil Gavaskar 78, Yashpal Sharma 40, Dilip Vengsarkar 65*)

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1986: A Dilip Vengsarkar-inspired India seal series win

Indian team celebrates after winning the second Test at Headingley.

India created history at Headingley by sealing their second-ever series win in England. Already low on morale after losing the first Test at Lord's, the hosts suffered major blows with the absence of their stars David Gower and Ian Botham.

In conditions not well suited to batting, Dilip Vengsarkar's grit made all the difference as he rode on his excellent form and made the difference for India.

The decisive 2-0 lead meant that Kapil Dev's India had won the series. It remains the only time an Indian team won more than one Test in England during a tour.

Brief scores

India 272 (Dilip Vengsarkar 61; Graham Dilley 3/54, Derek Pringle 3/47) & 237 (Dilip Vengsarkar 102*; John Lever 4/64, Derek Pringle 4/73) beat England 102 (Madan Lal 3/18, Roger Binny 5/40) & 128 (Maninder Singh 4/26) by 279 runs

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2002: India script a fairytale at Headingley

Arguably, Rahul Dravid's finest Test hundred came in Leeds in 2002.

After a loss at Lord’s and a draw at Trent Bridge, a greenish surface awaited the Indians at Leeds. Worse, talks of a contract dispute were keeping morale low too.

The track did have demons, but India surprised the fraternity by electing to bat first. And on a surface that seemed like a pacer’s paradise, Ganguly decided to include both spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.

The platform for good things to come was set up by Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Bangar’s 170-run second-wicket stand. England’s then skipper Nasser Hussain described Dravid’s century as one of the best he had seen.

When the pitch was slightly easier to bat on, Yorkshire’s prodigal son, Tendulkar, feasted on it. The club’s first overseas cricketer had no first-class hundreds on this ground before this Test. In what was his 99th Test, he went past Sir Don Bradman’s century tally to register his 30th hundred.

Ganguly, by then already an ODI great, lit up the venue with his pyrotechnics. Tendulkar-Ganguly slammed 96 runs off 11 overs despite the fading light, finally adding a 249-run fourth-wicket stand in less than 60 overs.

It remained the only instance when all three in this famous trio of Indian cricket scored a hundred in the same innings.

The decision to play two spinners paid off, with Kumble claiming seven wickets in the Test as India leveled the series 1-1. It was India’s first win in England since the one at Leeds in 1986.

Brief scores

India 628 for 8 dec (Sanjay Bangar 68, Rahul Dravid 148, Sachin Tendulkar 193, Sourav Ganguly 128; Andy Caddick 3/150) beat England 273 (Michael Vaughan 61, Alec Stewart 78*; Anil Kumble 3/93, Harbhajan Singh 3/40) & 309 (Nasser Hussain 110, Alec Stewart 47; Anil Kumble 4/66) by an innings and 46 runs

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Trivia: The last Test played at this venue was the Ashes match that England won by one wicket, courtesy of Ben Stokes’ spellbinding 135 not out – an innings arguably termed the greatest in Test history.