Image via WikipediaNew Delhi: Call it a coincidence or kind of a payback for the colonial rule, Indian teams have achieved more than a few milestones on England soil. From the first ever overseas Test series victory in 1971 to the historic World Cup victory in 1983 or the emergence of stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, cricket grounds in England have laid platforms for Indians to make a strong statement.
First glory abroad
After 40 years of struggle in the game invented by the English, India’s sense of inferiority vanished in 1971 when the bunch of underdogs led by Ajit Wadekar crushed England’s dominance in a three-match series. The Indian trio of Bishan Singh Bedi, Chandrashekhar and Prasanna made the England stars dance to their tune. While the first and the final Test ended without result, India pulled off a sensational 38-run win at Lord’s in the second Test to secure a historic series win.
“The sense of inferiority we had while playing formidable teams that too on their own soil, vanished. Indians in general started thinking that they can also make it to the top," said Ajit Wadekar, referring to victory over England in 1971.
Kapil Dev’s men do an encore
Though India had to wait for another 15 years, the storm that Kapil Dev’s devils brought was harder as a clueless England were swept away. Under the leadership of Kapil, India thrashed England by 5 wickets and 279 runs in the first two Tests respectively to secure an invincible 2-0 lead.
The third Test at Old Trafford was the only close one, and even then India ended in the stronger position. The visitors carried on with the tremendous form and stunned the hosts 2-0 in the limited-over series as well.
Sachin Tendulkar comes of age in England
Though India’s then iron man Sunil Gavaskar couldn’t shine in his last tour to England and bid adieu to the game next year, another legend was in the making. And England faced his juggernaut in 1990 at Old Traffords.
Already trailing in the 0-1 after humiliating defeat at Lord’s, India were on the verge of another thrashing at Manchester. Chasing 408, India were struggling at 183/6 when 17-year old Sachin Tendulkar slammed his maiden ton to keep the hosts in check and avoid an embarrassment.
The arrival of Dada and The Wall
If it was Tendulkar who surprised the cricket pundits in 1990, two budding stars stole the limelight in the 1996 tour. After being dropped from the squad in early 90s due to his attitude, Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly made his Test debut alongside Rahul Dravid at Lord’s in 1996. After 2-0 drubbing in ODIs, India had lost the first Test by a huge margin. Cricket fans back home had nothing much to talk before Ganguly’s ton on debut and a gritty knock by Dravid became the talk of town.
Dada scored 131 on debut which still remains the highest by any batsman on his debut at the ground. He didn’t lose the momentum in the third Test either and hit 136, pairing up well with Tendulkar to save the final test for India.
It was a benchmark tour for India as England are still struggling to secure a Test series win against India at home or away. The trio of Ganguly, Tendulkar and Dravid has proved too hot for England to handle.
A cracker in store
After a glorious win in West Indies, India are ready to take on England’s challenge from July 21. On the other hand upbeat hosts after sensational Ashes victory and home series win against Sri Lanka have trained their gun for the mega battle. The clash of titans will surely provide some electrifying moments for crazy cricket buffs.
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