England 2024 vs Australia 2017 - Which home Test series comeback was more impressive from India?
Team India's dominant home run in red-ball cricket has extended to 17 series in total following a ruthless 4-1 decimation of the visiting England side. The Men in Blue overcame the Bazball challenge to record one of the most memorable triumphs in recent times.
Rohit Sharma and company left an indelible mark on Bazball, and to such an extent that it got the pundits and fans in England completely riled up. The Indian subcontinent challenge is arguably the most difficult one in world cricket at present, with no opposition breaching the territory since Alastair Cook's side in 2012.
India's invincibility on home turf is more evident than ever, given the resources they have across all departments. With nary a weakness in their unit, it will take a special effort from an opposition to stop this illustrious run.
Although the overall series scoreline of 4-1 suggests that India breezed past Ben Stokes and company, that was hardly the case. Despite not coming close to dictating a series victory, England did manage to make India toil hard on their own soil.
Another team that India had to grind past to maintain the streak was Steve Smith's Australia side in 2017. Back then, India overturned a 0-1 deficit to win the four-match series by a 2-1 margin.
There can be parallels drawn between the series despite the massive difference with which they were played in terms of approach and conditions. On that note, let us take a look at which come back from India was more impressive and commendable.
Early setbacks
The very first similarity between the two series wins is the early breakthrough for the visiting team. It is very rare for opposition teams to claim a series lead in India.
Australia had absolutely destroyed India in Pune to record one of their greatest overseas wins. Led by Steve Smith's masterclass and Steve O'Keefe's 12-wicket haul, the Men in Yellow made things look insanely easy with a 333-run win.
England, on the other hand, went on to record one of their greatest overseas wins by defeating India by 28 runs in Hyderabad in the 2024 series opener. Ollie Pope's 196 in the second innings allowed the team to come back into the contest after having initially trailed by 190 runs after the first innings.
India were criticized heavily for their defeats across different fronts. The Men in Blue were not spared after being dominated by a visiting team in familiar conditions after the defeat against Australia. Whereas, following England's win, the team were lambasted for allowing them to come back into the contest, and letting slip a mammoth lead.
Being on the ropes
It was essential for India to fight back immediately in both cases after losing the first match. While they eventually managed to do so, it did not come without any hurdles, and it was not all smooth sailing as the final scoreboard or scoreline suggests.
In the second Test in Bangalore against Australia, the Men in Blue were reeling after having been bundled out for 189 in the first innings and conceding a heavy lead, considering the conditions. It needed a herculean effort from Cheteshwar Pujara in the second innings for India to claim a lead and post a competitive target.
The spinners reigned supreme in the final innings, and the win proved to be the platform for India to outplay Australia in the remainder of the series and clinch it.
Even though India scripted a record 434-run win over England in Rajkot, they were struggling in the first hour of the contest. A top-order collapse had left them tottering at 33-3, and it was the returning Ravindra Jadeja and skipper Rohit Sharma who rescued the team with their centuries.
England were placed comfortably at 224-2 up against India's 445 in the first innings, but crumbled to 319 all out, which changed the direction of the contest.
In the fourth Test in Ranchi, England were completely on top after scoring 353 in the first innings and then reducing India to 177-7. However, Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav's effort down the order cut England's lead to less than 50 runs. Another collapse for England saw the series being sealed in India's favor.
Beating the odds
Team India faced personnel issues across both series. Against Australia, Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the latter half while Virat Kohli picked up an injury in the third Test and missed the series finale in Dharamshala.
India's issues were a bit more serious against England as Virat Kohli missed the entire series due to personal reasons, while Shami was also absent completely due to injury. KL Rahul only played one Test, missing the rest due to injury while Ravindra Jadeja also missed one match.
The team had to do with several youngsters, and the series featured a total of five debutants. Even the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were relatively inexperienced, with the latter still easing into his role at No. 3. Furthermore, the surfaces in use for the England series could hardly be termed as rank turners.
Considering all factors which include lack of options, conditions, and recovering from low points, it can be said that India's comeback against England in 2024 is more impressive than their triumph against Australia in 2017