IND vs ENG 2021: 3 instances of India losing an away series after taking a 1-0 lead
Team India started the ongoing five-Test series against England in emphatic fashion. After rain played spoilsport in the first Test, which ended in a draw, the Men in Blue comprehensively beat the hosts by 151 runs at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
However, India failed to keep their winning momentum intact and lost the third Test by an innings and 76 runs. This is not the first instance of Team India going down in an away series after having their tails up.
On that note, let's revisit a few instances of India losing an away series after taking a 1-0 lead.
#1 India's tour of West Indies 2002 (lost 2-1)
After a draw at Guyana, India won the second Test of the five-match series in Trinidad by 37 runs during their 2002 tour of the West Indies. However, they were beaten by 10 wickets in the very next Test in Barbados as Caribbean fast bowler Mervyn Dillon ran riot. A draw in the fourth Test meant both teams had all to play for going into the fifth and final game of the series.
Riding on Wavell Hinds' brilliant hundred, West Indies scored 422 while batting first in the series decider. Dillon once again proved to be a tormentor for the Indians, who were bundled out for just 212. Needing 408 to win in the fourth innings, the Indians were never allowed to settle as they skiddled out for 252, with the West Indies winning the series by a 2-1 margin.
#2 India's tour of South Africa 2006-07 (lost 2-1)
Riding on S Sreesanth's five-wicket haul in the first innings, India sealed a historic win in the first Test in Johannesburg to go 1-0 up in the three-match series during their 2006 tour of South Africa. However, the hosts came back hard and put in an impressive performance with both the bat and ball to register a thumping 174-run victory in the second Test to level the series.
The third and final Test in Cape Town saw Dale Steyn wreck havoc as India succumbed to just 169 despite taking a slender 41-run lead. The Proteas knocked off the 251 run chase with five wickets to spare and recorded an impressive 2-1 series win over India.
#3 India's tour of England 2014 (lost 3-1)
Led by Ishant Sharma's match-winning seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the second Test at Lord's, India clinched an important win after a dull draw in the opening Test in Nottingham.
However, just when it looked like the visitors would script history, England won two back-to-back Tests. They won the third Test in Southampton by a massive 266-run margin before scripting another emphatic win in Manchester. In the fifth Test at the Oval, England once again came on top to script a remarkable 3-1 series win.