India will record a positive win-loss record for the first time ever if they beat Bangladesh in Chennai.

India need just one more win in Test cricket to record more wins than losses, for the first time ever. Here is how long other Test teams have taken to achieve the same.

When India take the field at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on September 19, history awaits them. It is incredible to hear, but a win over Bangladesh will mean that for the first time ever, India will have recorded more wins than losses in Test cricket.

For all of their history so far, India had lost more Test matches than they had won, until they beat England in Dharamsala earlier this year. That result itself was historic, as it marked the first time they had 'broken even' – with a record of 178 wins and 178 losses. This is their first Test match since then, and history beckons once again. 

Also read: Yash Dayal bucks the trends to resuscitate India's left-arm drought

India's nadir in this respect came in December 1992, when they lost to South Africa in Gqeberha to register a win-loss ratio of 0.458. They had lost more than twice as many matches as they had won – 44 victories to 96 defeats. 

The first Test against Bangladesh will be India's 580th Test match, so we know it will take them at least that long to record a win-loss ratio of more than one. But how long have the other teams in Test cricket taken to do this?

South Africa: 340 matches

Currently, it is South Africa who have taken the longest time to register a positive win-loss record, with 340 matches. They first broke even by beating Australia in Perth in December 2008, going to a 118-118 record.

In their very next match, they beat Australia in Melbourne, going to 119-118 thanks to a stunning performance from Dale Steyn, who took two five-wicket hauls and even scored 76 in the first innings, batting at No.10. 

West Indies: 99 matches

West Indies first broke even in their 95th match, beating England by 10 wickets in Manchester in 1963. They drew the next Test and lost the one after that before breaking even once again at 33-33 by winning in Leeds.

In match number 99, West Indies won the final Test of that summer at The Oval. Garry Sobers took nine wickets in the match, and opener Conrad Hunte struck an unbeaten 108 in the fourth innings to take his side over the line.

Unfortunately, the last time West Indies ever had more wins than losses was in December 2009, when the win-loss record stood at 152-151. It is currently at 183-214.

 

 

England: 23 matches

England have been quite successful in Test cricket of late, and are coming off the back of a 5-1 scoreline across the home summer. But it took them 23 matches to record more wins than losses, at a time when their only opponents were Australia. They had to break even five different times before eventually grabbing that elusive victory to take their record to 10-9.

They hammered Australia by an innings at Lord's in 1886. Arthur Shrewsbury scored 164 before Johnny Briggs took 5-29 and 6-45 to secure the win.

Pakistan: 16 matches

Pakistan had more than a few draws at the start of their Test history. In 1955, they drew all five Tests of their home series against India, but two matches after that, they managed to hit a win-loss record of 4-3 after consecutive wins over New Zealand, first in Karachi and then in Lahore.

In the clincher, Waqar Hassan and Imtiaz Ahmed starred with the bat, scoring 189 and 209 respectively in the first innings. Khan Mohammad took 4-78 in the first innings, and Zulfiqar Ahmed took 4-114 in the second. 

 

 

Afghanistan: 3 matches

Afghanistan only made their Test debut in 2018, and have still played just nine matches. But it didn't take them long to record a positive win-loss record. They lost their first match to India, before beating Ireland in Dehradun.

Their third match saw them earn a 224-run victory in September 2019 over Bangladesh in Chattogram, no mean feat. Rahmat Shah became their first-ever Test centurion but Rashid Khan won Player of the Match, taking 5-55 & 6-49 as well as chipping in with knocks of 51 & 24.

Australia: 1 match

This needs little explanation. Australia won the first Test match ever, against England in Melbourne in March 1877. Opener Charles Bannerman scored 165 in a team total of 245, before Tom Kendall starred in the fourth innings with 7-55 to bowl England out for 108 and seal a 45-run win.

New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Ireland: Not yet achieved

These four sides are yet to ever record more wins than losses in Test cricket. New Zealand took until their 45th match to record their first-ever victory and it has been a long, hard slog ever since. At present, their record stands at 115 wins and 185 losses.

Like New Zealand, Sri Lanka have also struggled since their introduction to Test cricket. They have had their ups and downs but the closest they have come since the initial days was in August 2009, with a win-loss record of 60-67. Sri Lanka's current record is 104-123.

Zimbabwe were a decent Test-playing nation in the 1990s, but have slipped since. Since the turn of the century, they have failed to come close to breaking even and currently have a win-loss record of 13-76.

Bangladesh have a similar story to Zimbabwe, despite recently securing a historic series win over Pakistan. The slide has been gradual, but they will need much work to get anywhere close to breaking even, with a current record of 21-105.

Ireland have played just nine Test matches, only securing their first win this February, at the eighth time of asking. Their current win-loss record is 2-7.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Related tags:

Trending StoriesSeries Cover Stories