India's 5 best tours of England

As India prepare to tour England next year, here are some of the team's best tours to the country in cricket history.

It will be the twentieth time India have toured England, the first in 1911 when an 'all-Indian' team played twenty-three matches. On said tour, fourteen of those matches were of first-class status and the team left with a record of two wins, ten draws and ten losses.

However, it was not until 1932 that the first England-India Tests were played in England. The tourists lost the only Test at Lords by 158 runs, despite Mohammad Nissar leaving with impressive figures of 5-93.

#1 1971 Tour

On this tour, India won their first-ever series in England. A very strong spin attack of Bishen Bedi, Chandrasekar and Venkataragahavan caused problems for the English.

Three Tests were played and in the first Test at Lord's, India pushed hard for a win but England were saved by a career-best seventy-three from England tailender John Snow and India were left 38 runs from the win.

In the next Test, it was England that would dominate at Old Trafford. Again the game would be drawn, but a rain delay meant that England failed to bowl out the tourists in the second innings. They finished on 65 for three, still needing 355 more runs to win.

It was the Oval that hosted the final Test in which India were behind the game after only replying 284 to England's 355.

However, the home side were then skittled for just 101 thanks to Chandrasekhar, who left with figures of 6-38. 174 was then chased down successfully, which ended England's run of 26 Tests without loss.

The win sparked huge celebrations back home in a series in which a young Sunil Gavaskar featured.