India have always been a tough team to beat in home conditions. They bring out their best in front of the local crowd with wickets conducive to batting and spin bowling. It’s when they travel abroad that problems seem to creep up.
Over the years, however, multiple Indian sides have gone on to register famous wins on road in their Test history, quite a few of which have culminated in series wins too. We put up this question for our Wisden India readers to answer: Which is India’s greatest away Test series win?
Which is India’s greatest away Test series win according to you? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wHTnEKHCT4
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) June 18, 2020
And here are the responses they came up with.
India’s tour of Australia 2018/19 (Result: 2-1 win)
From what I have seen, India’s test series win in Australia is the greatest. India would have won that series by a 3-1 margin had it not rained in Sydney. India is the only Asian team to win a Test series there, which magnified the achievement.
— Sreejith Mullappilli (@Mullappilli) June 18, 2020
Led by Virat Kohli, the Indian team won their first-ever Test series in Australia on the 2018/19 tour Down Under. After winning a close first Test, India were swept aside in the second. However, they managed to hit back in the third and, most probably, would have won the fourth Test as well had it not rained in Sydney.
India’s tour of Pakistan 2004 (Result: 2-1 win)
India’s Tour of Pakistan 2004 under Ganguly
The first time that India won a Test in Pakistan since Independence and then ultimately won the 3 match Test Series as well
Sehwag 309, SRT 194* Declaration, SRT’s dismissal of Moin Khan from the day’s last ball
The best for me!
— Shivam Singh (@_SinghShivam) June 18, 2020
The Indian team visited Pakistan for a full tour for the first time in 14 years and Sourav Ganguly’s men made it count. A see-sawing three-Test series saw India draw first blood as they won by an innings and 52 runs. Pakistan were in no mood to let their neighbours run away with the series and registered an emphatic nine-wicket win in the second. But India kept their nerves to win the third Test and with it the series.
India’s tour of England 2007 (Result: 1-0 win)
2007 versus England under Dravid’s captaincy.
— Vaibhav Bhasin (@vibes9393) June 19, 2020
Captained by Rahul Dravid, India registered their first Test series win in England after 21 years. India won the second match of the three-Test series, sandwiched by two draws to complete what many consider the greatest India’s away Test series win of the 2000s.
India’s tour of England 1971 (Result: 1-0 win)
1971 – England.
— Mick Foley (@NarayanDuck) June 18, 2020
Led by Ajit Wadekar and with a young 22-year-old Sunil Gavaskar in the side, it was in 1971 that India registered their first-ever Test series win in England. After the first two matches finished in a draw, India held on to chase down 173 in the third Test and register one of their most famous series wins.
India’s tour of West Indies 1971 (Result: 1-0 win)
1971 vs West Indies 0-1 ❤️🙌🏿 Sunny with 774 runs
— Jaydutt Kulkarni 💭 (@JD_Kulkarni) June 18, 2020
Before travelling to England in the summer of 1971, India visited West Indies for a five-Test contest. In what was Gavaskar’s debut series, the then-youngster amassed 774 runs in four matches to help India register their first-ever Test series win against the mighty West Indies in their backyard.
