New Delhi: The Indian team will look to halt a run of three successive away series defeats against England when they take on the Joe Root-led side. The first Test of the five-match series begins Wednesday at Nottingham. The last time India won a series against England in England was in 2007 when they won 1-0. This is the very reason why Virat Kohli and his soldiers will have to be wary about England playing at home.
2011: India lose four-Test series 0-4
India were high on success after winning the 2011 World Cup at home. However, Test matches in England were a different matter altogether. India lost the first Test by 196 runs, the second by 319 runs, the third by an innings and 242 runs as England piled on 710/7 declared in the first innings. A battered India lost the fourth and final Test by an innings and eight runs.
Rahul Dravid, at the fag end of his career, was the only one to click as Indian batting faltered against James Anderson and Stuart Broad who shared 46 scalps. Kevin Pietersen (533) and Ian Bell (504) never allowed Indian bowlers to settle.
2014: India lose five-Test series 1-3.
India started the series on a high note with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (58 & 63 not out), Mohammed Shami (51 not out) and Stuart Binny (78) being the batting stars in the drawn first Test. Jimmy Anderson scored 81 for England. India won the second Test by 95 runs at Lord’s thanks to Ishant Sharma’s 7/74 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. However, England came back to win the next three Tests by 266 runs, innings and 54 runs and innings and 244 runs.
2018: India lose 5-Test series 1-4
The series was much closer than it seemed. Virat Kohli overcame the 2014 series disappointment by ending as the top-scorer across both sides in the series with 593 runs. India lost the first Test by a slender 31-run margin as Sam Curran proved to be the difference. They were walloped by an innings and 159 runs. However, Virat Kohli’s 97 & 103 as well as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket hauls helped them win the third Test by 203 runs and stay alive in the series. India, however, lost the fourth Test by a small margin of 60 runs and the fifth and final one by 118 runs despite fighting centuries from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
