How India Transformed its Historic Decline into Test Cricket Dominance

Before the partition of the subcontinent, the Indian cricket team played its first Test match in 1932 at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Back then, Test cricket had a completely different significance for India. However, with a recent victory over Bangladesh, the Indian cricket team has now written a new chapter in its history.

Following their triumph over Bangladesh in Chennai last month, India’s overall Test match victories have now surpassed their losses. India has played 580 Test matches to date, winning 179 and losing 178.

Sports journalist Suresh Menon has chronicled India’s remarkable journey in Test cricket. Menon writes that whenever there is a significant change in the sports world, it is usually driven by the best player in the team. This transformation is supported by the other players, although their performance may not be at the same level.

From 1958 to 1970, Brazil won three out of four Football World Cups, a feat largely attributed to the brilliance of Pelé. Similarly, when Sachin Tendulkar joined the Indian cricket team, it changed the fortunes of Indian cricket. However, several supporting players also contributed to this resurgence, including Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, and MS Dhoni.

When Sachin Tendulkar made his debut for the Indian national team in November 1989, India had won only 43 out of 257 Test matches and had lost twice as many. Many matches were drawn as well.

During Tendulkar’s era, India played a total of 217 Test matches, winning 78 and losing 60, while 79 matches ended in draws, which was considered a significant achievement.

Of those victories, only seven came against South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and England. Even drawing a match against these teams was seen as an accomplishment.

It was with this mindset that India began competing internationally. At the same time, changes were also happening within Indian cricket domestically. Under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni, the process of selecting new players evolved, with talented cricketers being scouted beyond traditional centers.

No matter where you were from, if you played good cricket, you were given an opportunity.

This transformation occurred despite cricket boards and local administrations prioritizing their political interests over the sport.

In 2013, Sachin Tendulkar retired. Since then, India has played 106 Test matches, winning 58 and losing 29. Only 19 matches ended in draws, a remarkable achievement.

One after another, India won Test series against Australia, fiercely matching their aggressive and confident style of play. Cricket was no longer just a game—it had become a battle of nerves.

Virat Kohli’s passion for winning in Test cricket became contagious, spreading to his entire team. In 2014, Kohli captained his first match in Adelaide, with India set a target of 364 runs. Despite being able to settle for a draw, the Indian team pushed for a win. Although they lost the match by 48 runs and the series, Kohli’s leadership ushered in a new approach to Test cricket.

Kohli captained the majority of India’s Test matches, playing 68 matches in total. His leadership style suggested that Kohli had an aversion to drawn matches. His mindset toward Test cricket was that India only played to win, leaving no room for defeat.

Only 16% of Test series under Kohli ended in draws, the lowest percentage among the top six captains in history. Even West Indies’ legendary captain Clive Lloyd had 35% of his Test matches ending in draws.

Kohli had talented players around him, including Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul. These players were scouted through unconventional sources rather than traditional academies or leagues.

India’s approach to Test cricket evolved further, with less focus on traditional styles and more emphasis on effectiveness and adaptability. Jasprit Bumrah, who rose quickly to international cricket stardom, might not have had the opportunity to play in earlier generations. His unorthodox bowling style could have led past coaches to suggest he pursue a different career path.

India’s consistent failures in overseas Test matches, particularly against fast bowlers, caught the attention of the cricket board. Between 2011 and 2012, India lost all their matches against Australia and England.

The ‘golden generation’ of Indian cricket began to retire. The board then focused on preparing pitches suitable for fast bowlers, instructing that 3-8mm of grass be left on the surface.

As a result, India discovered not only fast bowlers but also prepared its batsmen to face fast bowling head-on. Fast bowlers were critical to winning matches abroad, and India’s top order had previously struggled against them.

In 1952, during a Test match in Manchester, the Indian team was bowled out for 58 and 82 runs in two innings as fast bowlers Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser wreaked havoc on the batting lineup.

In 1974, during a Test match at Lord’s, India was bowled out for just 42 runs. The innings ended so quickly that a cartoon circulated in sports circles, showing a woman telling her husband that while he was in the restroom, India’s innings had begun and ended.

However, when India was bowled out for 36 runs in 2020, there was no such cartoon. It was seen as a bizarre innings where every good ball took a wicket, and hardly any ball was playable.

Despite this dismal performance, India’s resilience and confidence led them to win the next two Test matches and the series.

In 2002 and 2004, India won Test matches in places like Port of Spain, Leeds, Adelaide, Multan, and Rawalpindi. However, they only won a series in Pakistan.

Renowned author David Frith once commented that India had one of the best top-six batting lineups in cricket history, with both flair and power.

Yet, the team’s performance often fell short of expectations. This was another irony of Indian cricket, where even their most celebrated players did not dominate as they should have.

But the current Indian team is formidable.

India’s recent performances, even after being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide and 78 in Leeds, show that the players don’t dwell on defeat—they focus on winning.

Individually, this is an extraordinary trait, and for a team to embody this mindset is even rarer.

In the past, India’s team had extraordinary players shouldering immense responsibility. If Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed, it felt as though half the team was out. If the opposition managed to play the Indian spinners, there was little hope until Kapil Dev returned. And if he had an off day, the situation became even worse.

In the 1960s, India won only one series abroad, in New Zealand. This helped India realize that spin bowling was their strength. Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi captained that generation, and his leadership was as crucial to India’s consistent performance as Sachin Tendulkar’s batting was in later years.

This was before the emergence of the professional cricketers under Kohli’s leadership. When India first became the number one Test team, they hadn’t won any series in Australia, South Africa, or Sri Lanka. Now, the only country where India has yet to win a Test series is South Africa.

Indian cricket is rapidly progressing, and now we see the upcoming retirement of current stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja. Young stars like Rishabh Pant, Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and many others have already made their mark.

India’s next series is against Australia in November, and suddenly, all the pressure is on Australia. The Tendulkar generation laid a solid foundation, and the Kohli-Sharma generation has further strengthened it. After the Chennai Test, India now has more victories than defeats in Test cricket: 179 wins and 178 losses in 580 matches. This is statistical proof that we are living in a new era of Indian cricket.