IND Vs ENG: India has lost the first red ball game of the five-match series against England. The home side lost the opening encounter by 28 runs in Hyderabad and now they are fighting out to draw the series to one all in Visakhapatnam.
But this was not the first time where India had lost the opening match of a Test series.
The Men in Blue have lost the first Test and despite that they have bounced back well to clinch the series of the red ball format.
Before facing England, India also lost the first Test match in the two-match series against South Africa.
But Rohit Sharma and his men made an impressive comeback and drew the Test series to one all in the Proteas Nation.
In this segment, today we will mention how many times did India had won the Test series despite losing the opening Red Ball Matches:
India had hosted England for a series of five Test matches at home. The home side lost the opening game of that series in Delhi. England won that game by 6 wickets.
But India won the next two matches in Kolkata and Chennai. While the last two games were drawn in Kanpur and Navi Mumbai. So this was the first series win for India after they lost the opening match.
The Test match series in 2000 and 2001 between India and Australia is still being hailed as the greatest wins of all time by the Indian Team against the mighty Test side of the Aussies.
Sourav Ganguly was the skipper of the Men in Blue in that series who led his young side remarkably well. India had lost the first Test match of that series in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
But what followed was one of the best Test innings which saved India the blushes at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India was also down and out of that red ball game as well when Steve Waugh’s Australia enforced a follow-on.
VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid snitched a partnership which is being remembered even now by every Indian fan. Laxi scored 281 runs in that game while Dravid scored 180 runs.
VVS and Rahul added 376 runs which allowed the home side India to dominate that whole match and it also set the tone for the last match of that series as well.
Harbhajan Singh was also the hero of that Test match because he took a hat trick and Sachin Tendulkar also picked up three vital scalps in that game.
India won the second Test match and also the series despite being in a reeling position in the earlier red ball games.
India toured Sri Lanka in 2015 and they lost the opening Test match at Galle by 63 runs. But the visitors team of that series bounced back well and won the last two matches of the three-match series of the red ball format.
India won the last two matches played in Colombo and also won the series by the margin of 2-1.
India was hammered by the Aussies in their opening Test match in Pune. The two Steve’s of Australia gave match-winning performances in the first Test match and won that game by a mammoth margin of 333 runs.
Smith scored a sparkling century on a difficult pitch and Steve O'Keefe picked 12 wickets in a single Test match. But India didn’t give up as they made a strong comeback in the series.
That side which was led by Virat Kohli gave solid performances in the test matches played in Bengaluru and Dharamshala.
The third match of that series in Ranchi was drawn which allowed India to win that series even after they were hammered by a strong opposition side like Australia.
India toured Australia during the pandemic times of 2020 and 2021. This series was another example that the Men in Blue can bounce back and shock the opposition even when they are in a mess. India lost the Adelaide Test match which was a Pink Ball affair. The visitors, India was competitive.
But one bad session of play didn’t allow them to start the series on a winning note. In the second innings, the Indian team under King Kohli was bundled out for just 36 runs and many believed that the Aussies will whitewash India in this series. Virat went back home and injuries also hit the Indian team.
Ajinkya Rahane was the right man for India to lead in that series because Jinx has a calm approach. Rahane’s masterful ton in MCG set the tone in that series alongside Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara also played many key roles.
Shardul, Siraj and Sundar were the three debutants for India who replaced the stalwart players of their country also stepped up in crunch situations.
After the win at Melbourne, India had a hard-fought draw in Sydney and then they conquered Australia’s fortress at the Gabba in Brisbane.
It was India who ended the long winning streak of Australia at that venue and they are still the only Asian side to win at that iconic stadium. Despite being 36 all out, the Blues won the series by a margin of 2-1.
England toured India for a four-match red ball series. India had lost the opening match in Chennai. Joe Root smashed a double ton in that game and helped his team to win that match by a whopping margin of 227 runs.
Like mentioned before, India has been in never say die attitude and made a comeback in the last three matches. The hosts had hat tricks of wins to clinch the series by 3-1 margin.
