5 memorable Test match victories for team India on West Indies soil

Dec 31, 2018 at 1:56 PM

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5 memorable Test match victories for team India on West Indies soil

We are just 10 days away from the start of the epic Test series between two of the oldest rivals in the history of cricket India and West Indies. The Indian team has already reached there about 15 days prior to the tour. They have already started training for the tour and also played a practise match before the start of the international assignment. Indian players performed quite well in the practise match. Amit Mishra impressed the most of all as the leg spinner from the state of Haryana pouched 4 wickets.

Indian team is set to play one more practise match before the start of the series to get in full flow. Till then let us recall top 5 memorable Test match victories of Indian team over West Indies team on West Indies soil:

  1. Second Test, March 6-10, 1971
sunil gavaskar
sunil gavaskar

This was team India’s first ever victory over the West Indies team in this format and the win came at the right place i.e. on West Indies soil. In the year 1971 team India travelled to West Indies to play five matches test match series. After the first match ended in a draw, team India showed great class in the second one and riding on brilliant team effort from the boys, team India went on to win the Test match. Batting first, the West Indies team could just post a total 214 runs on the board. In reply team, India scored 352 runs and owned a lead of 138 runs.

In the third innings of the game the West Indies team tried to fight back but was bundled out on a total of 261 runs which meant that team India had only 124 runs to chase for a victory. Debutant Sunil Gavaskar scored the second half-century of the match and riding on his innings team India went on to win the contest. This victory is still one of the memorable victories in the history as this was the only match of the series that did not end in a draw which meant that team India won the series which was also the first series win for Indian team on foreign soil.

 

  1. Third Test, April 7-12, 1976

Sunil Gavaskar (left) and Chetan Chauhan (right)

It can be said that this win over the West Indies team laid the foundation of World Cup win of the year 1983. Team India chased a mammoth target of 403 runs in the fourth innings of the game to seal the game. The chase is still the highest total chased by the Indian team in the fourth innings.

Batting first the West Indies team posted a huge total of 359 runs on the board, team India replied with a gutsy 228. West Indies batsmen again attacked the Indian bowlers and asked Indian batsmen to chase 403 runs. A miracle or magic was needed to chase such a huge target against such a deadly bowling attack but Indian batsmen unexpectedly chased down the target after showing resistance for 147 overs. Centuries from Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath helped the Indian team to register a thumping win over mighty West Indies. It will be unfair not to mention the efforts of Mohinder Amarnath who played a crucial innings of 85 runs.

  1. Second Test, April 19-23, 2002

sourav

This was Sourav Ganguly’s first tour to West Indies as a captain. On the previous tour, Sachin Tendulkar led the team to West Indies where the Indian team lost the 5 matches Test matches series by a margin of 1-0.

After the drawn first match, it was important for a team to win the second one so as to take a lead in the series; team India was first one to do the honours. Batting first in the second Test match of the series team India scored 339 runs. In reply, the West Indies team could just score 245 runs on the board. In the third innings when team India was losing continues wickets, captain Ganguly took on the charge and he along with V.V.S. Laxman shared 149 runs for the fifth wicket. Team India asked West Indies team to chase 313 for the win. The top order of the West Indies team set up a good game for them but in the end, it was the Indian team who pulled off a brilliant victory in the end.

  1. Fourth Test, 30 June- 4 July, 2006
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid

After the three consecutive drawn Test matches, it was the time for the final and last Test match of the series which was to decide the fate of the series. Team India failed in the first innings and could just score 200 runs but a bowling attack led by Harbhajan Singh made West Indies batsmen dance to his tunes as he alone dismantled the Windies batting line-up. He sent back as much as five batsmen back to the pavilion in just 4.3 overs he bowled. On a bowler friendly pitch, the West Indies team tested the Indian batsman again and dismissed them on the score of 171.

The equation was quite clear as the hosts had to chase 269 runs for a win. They did not start off well but slowly and steadily were getting in form to chase the target. Regular blows from Indian bowlers did not allow them to come closer to target and in the end the Indian team sealed a great win.

  1. First Test, June 20-23, 2011

dhoni_2491954b

The recently crowned World cup winning team travelled to West Indies to play a complete series comprising of all formats of the game. After a win in ODI and T20 series now it was time for days cricket. Team India got off to a poor start in the first Test as six batsmen were back in the pavilion before the 100 run mark. Half-centuries from Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh helped team India to post 246 runs on the board. Indian bowlers bounced back well and gained a lead of 73 runs. In the third innings of the match, team India managed to cross 250 run mark and asked West Indies to score 326 runs for a win. The West Indies team never ever looked in good touch and at last team, India emerged as the winner of the first Test match. The next two Test matches ended in a draw.

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