Indian Cricket: The Test series between England Vs India has been a fascinating duel over the years. Test cricket is the most older and traditional format in the game of cricket.
It is a neck-to-neck contest between the bat and ball for five gruelling days under the hot sun.
The teams need to play it out session by session to hold their grip on the Test match, and the team who wins the most sessions ends up winning the Test match quite compressively.
The Test match played in England is different from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and other Asian Sub-continent countries.
The ball zips around in England, and it supports the bowlers than the batsmen. Here patience, determination, and perseverance come into play due to the swing and seaming conditions in the United Kingdom.
However, if the conditions are overcast, then that troubles the batsmen even more.
India's record has been the poor in England, South Africa, and New Zealand. It was in 2007 when India won their last Test series in England.
That came under the captaincy skills of current head coach Rahul Sharad Dravid, and in 2009, India won the Test series in New Zealand under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Since then, the men in blue have struggled to make a men’s mark whenever they have toured these two countries.
India is yet to win a Test series in South Africa. Rohit and co will look to improve their records when they travel to the Proteas Nation later this year in December 2023.
The Indian batsmen have always found it tough in England conditions. The batsmen have struggled when they have faced the red cheery.
So today, we will make a list of the top 5 former Indian batters who have done well in England in Test Cricket.
Mr Tendulkar has scored tons and runs in every corner of the world, which is why he is a legend in the game of cricket, and he is also known as the God of Cricket.
The Master Blaster remains the highest run-scorer for India in Test matches and One Day International matches. He also has the most half-centuries and hundreds for India in this great game.
Moreover, he tops the list as the highest run-getter for India against England in their backyard. Sachin has successfully put all the great England bowlers under pressure, and he was also part of the 2007 Test series win in England. The God of cricket is the first man to score a thousand on England's soil.
In 17 test matches and 30 innings, Sachin has scored 1575 runs against England on their soil with the help of four centuries and eight half-centuries. Tendulkar had a Test average of 54.31 in England.
The Wall of India who had decimated all the best bowlers of the world through his skills, defence, and perseverance.
Dravid’s patience is the secret of his success for India in overseas conditions. He loved to play in England, and he also played a few county seasons in that country.
Rahul Dravid is just the second Indian batter to score a thousand runs in England, and he is also the second Indian captain who won a Test series in England.
In just 13 matches, Rahul has smashed 1376 runs, and he has six centuries in England which is the most by any Indian player in this list.
Dravid also has the highest average of 68.80 in Test matches played in and against England. He has scored four half-centuries overall in the UK.
The Prince of Kolkata had a dream debut at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1996. He scored a defining century on his maiden Test match, and his name is still on the Lord's honours board.
Ganguly is still known as the God offside, and his innings were based purely on the timing of the ball.
Dada was also part of the 2007 series win against England, and he was the first captain under whom the Test series was drawn in 2002.
The prince of Kolkata was the best captain for India in overseas conditions. India also drew the Test series in Australia that year. In England, Sourav Ganguly has scored 915 Test runs in nine matches and 15 innings.
Dada had the second-best Test average in England. He had an average of 65.35. He also scored three tons and five half-centuries in England.
India’s most successful captain across the formats, appears fourth on this list. Mahi Bhai has achieved a lot during his Test captaincy days for India till 2014.
Dhoni is just the second Indian captain to win a Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Kapil Dev was the first captain to take India to a memorable win at the home of the cricket stadium and Virat Kohli is the last skipper to achieve this feat. MS Dhoni also took India to number one in the ICC Test rankings.
But due to his poor outing as a skipper on 2011 and 2014 tours to England and Australia, many have criticized him. Still, he is the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in England and against the same opposition.
Despite having an unconventional technique, Dhoni has scored 778 runs in 12 matches and 23 innings. Mahi has saved the collapses for India on the 2011 and 2014 tours.
His match-saving knock during the 2007 tour eventually helped India to clinch the series in England in 2007. Mahi doesn't have any centuries on overseas tours but he has scored eight half-centuries in England, which is the most in this list.
His dominance in and against Australia is still remembered because of the knocks he played in Kolkata in 2001 and Adelaide in 2002.
Laxman was the best middle-order batsman for India in Tests and ODIs.
He was also part of the series win in England in 2007. But his performance against England wasn't that good if it is compared to Australia.
VVS was also part of the 2011 tour when India was whitewashed in the four-match Test series. Laxman played 11 matches and 19 innings in England. He scored 586 runs at an average of 34.47. VVS didn't score a hundred in England. But he had five half-centuries to his name.
