5 Test matches that should have been won by team India
Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket which challenges the players over a period of 5 days and 4 innings. At times, in spite of dominating a Test match for 4 days and 3 innings, the fifth day and the 4th innings is the deciding factor between winning a Test, losing it or ending in a draw.
There have been a few instances when the Indian team have dominated a Test for the first three innings. But the fourth innings was the deciding factor, and team India could not get over the finishing line. Here is a look at 5 such Test matches, which India should have won but ended losing or drawing.
#1. India Vs West Indies - Bridgetown, 1997:
The third Test of India's tour to West Indies in the 1997 was indeed a dramatic one. Having bowled out West Indies for a score of 298 in the first innings, India managed to get a handy lead of 21 runs courtesy a brilliant century from skipper Sachin Tendulkar. West Indies collapsed for 140 runs in the third innings of the Test, leaving a target of 120 for team India to record their first ever Test win at Barbados.
However, what transpired left the entire cricketing community in a state of shock. The trio of Ambrose, Bishop and Rose dismissed the strong Indian batting line up for just 81 runs with only the opener V.V.S. Laxman, entering a score in the double digits.
The Barbados Test was one of the most disappointing Tests in the history of Indian cricket and then-skipper Sachin Tendulkar later revealed that he considered quitting the game after the Barbados debacle.