The Indian batsmen worked very hard to draw the fourth Test against England in Manchester on Sunday, July 27. Because of this, the series is still alive, and there’s still something important to play for in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on July 31.
Historically, the Indian team has always shown great determination and a strong desire to win against their opponents in crucial matches. Many of those games are still clearly remembered by fans because of the players’ strong fighting spirit.
On that topic, let’s look at the Indian team’s best escapes after being pushed to the limit in the longest format.
1. India vs England, Manchester, 2025
The Manchester Test between India and England in 2025 will be remembered for India’s impressive comeback from a very tough spot.
India’s top scorer was Sai Sudharsan with 61 runs, and the team finished their innings with a total of 358. In response, England took control, scoring a massive 669 runs. Joe Root led the way with 150 runs, and Ben Stokes also hit a century with 141 runs.
The second innings began with India losing the first two wickets of their innings in the first over and very few saw India recovering 0/2. But the game came as a buff to the fact that Shubman Gill (103) and KL Rahul (90) played brilliantly and managed to keep India at par.
Ravindra Jadeja (107) and Washington Sundar (101) later carried their side with great prowess as they fought instrumental pressure of the last day and easily defeated England by a margin of 311 runs first-inning lead. India finally ended up with 425/4, which made both teams draw.
It is worth noting that India lacked suitable batters to come to the crease, as Rishabh Pant had suffered a toe injury and his participation was doubtful. A wicket for Sundar or Jadeja could have precipitated a massive collapse for the Gill-led side.
England now leads the series 2-1, with the Indian team hoping to even the series after a confidence-boosting tie.
2. India vs Australia, Sydney, 2021
The India-Australia rivalry in a series in 2020-21 attracted a lot of attention. India went into the third match in Sydney with a high confidence level because the teams were tied 1-1.
In the first innings, Australia scored 338 runs on the board with Steve Smith as their most effective player with 131. India was then 244 runs with the help of half centuries by Shubman Gill (50) and Cheteshwar Pujara (50).
Having made a very huge lead, Australia added their score to be 312 for 6 and India were to score 407 runs to win. Indian side began well and then struck a healthy combination between cautious and bold cricket, and it was spearheaded by Cheteshwar Pujara (77) and Rishabh Pant (97).
Lastly, Hanuma Vihari (23 not out off 161 balls) and Ravichandran Ashwin (39 not out off 128 balls) came up with a decisive stand of 62 runs off 259 balls and this ensured that India could save the day.
3. India vs England, Lord’s, 2007
The first Test of the 2007 series between India and England at Lord’s was a thriller. England opted to bat first and scored 298 runs, with Andrew Strauss (96) leading the way.
In response, India managed to score only 201, with Wasim Jaffer (58) being the most significant contributor. The host team was then all out for 282, with India needing 380 runs to win.
India had a dismal start, losing three wickets within the first 100 runs. Coming in at No. 7, MS Dhoni shown his ability to play under pressure and keep his team alive in the battle. However, he was unable to get strong support from the opposite end.
At the stroke of tea on Day 5, India was at 282/9 and utterly controlled by England.
They were fortunate, however, because bad light and rain showers caused the last session of Day 5 to be called off, resulting in a draw. Dhoni (76) and S. Sreesanth (4) were unbeaten for the visitors.
4. India vs England, The Oval, 1979
Sunil Gavaskar produced one of India’s most stunning long-form escapes during the 1979 Oval Test against England. England scored 305 runs in the first innings, with Graham Gooch (79) top scoring.
The Indian squad was bundled out for 202, paced by Gundappa Viswanath (62). England continued their momentum by declaring on 334/8, setting up India’s 438-run chase.
India got their footing back and played a good 213-run partnership between Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan (80). The Dilip Vengsarkar (52), too, had played a commendable role in leading the team on a right path. But his wicket served as an opening of floodgates by the English team which made regular breakthroughs.
Sunil Gavaskar went on to score an impressive 221 runs before being defeated by Ian Botham. The Indian batsmen tumbled like ninepins and needed to get through a couple more overs. The tourists concluded with 429/8 when the match ended in a tie.
5. India vs England, Manchester, 1990
India played against England in the second Test of the series played in 1990 at Manchester. England batted first to score 519 runs as three of their batsmen scored one hundred each.
India was impressive scoring 432 runs and the most prominent was their captain Mohammad Azharuddin with score of 179. The team resumed batting and the home team announced at 320/4 putting India a target of 408.
The visitors were in a really difficult position, as they were going at 183/6. When at the age of 17 Sachin Tendulkar was making his maiden series in England, he showed steel in his nerves. He struck 119* and formed an unbeaten stand with Manoj Prabhakar (67*) in enabling the team to end on 343/6 and escape defeat.
