India's top 5 highest partnerships in Tests in England ft. Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar
The Indian cricket team is currently in England for a grueling five-match Test series, which will be played from June 20 to August 4. The series will begin with the opening Test, which will be played at Headingley in Leeds. The remaining four Tests will be played at Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval. Before the first Test, India will play a four-day intra-squad warm-up game in Beckenham.
The visitors will be led by a new captain in Shubman Gill during the upcoming series against England. The change was necessitated after Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket following a disastrous tour of Australia. India will also be without the services of two other senior players Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
India have won a total of nine Test matches in England, two of them coming during the 2021 tour. There have been some impressive partnerships featuring Indian batters in Tests in England. In this feature, we look back at India's five highest partnerships in Test matches in England.
#5 (213) Chetan Chauhan & Sunil Gavaskar - The Oval, August 1979
Chetan Chauhan and Sunil Gavaskar featured in a number of memorable partnerships for India in Test cricket. The opening duo famously added 213 against England at The Oval in 1979.
India were set to chase a mammoth target of 438 in the fourth Test of the four-match series. Gavaskar and Chauhan got the visitors off to a sensational start in the chase. Chauhan contributed 80 off 263 balls and was eventually dismissed by Bob Willis. Gavaskar compiled a brilliant 221 off 443 balls.
The Little Master's amazing knock, which featured 21 fours, gave India hope of chasing down 438. However, the visitors' batting collapsed after Ian Botham dismissed Gavaskar. Eventually, India finished on 429-8 as the Test match at The Oval ended in a thrilling draw.
#4 (222) Ravindra Jadeja & Rishabh Pant - Birmingham, July 2022
Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja featured in a brilliant 222-run stand against England in Birmingham in July 2022 in the 5th Test of the five-match series. Sent into bat, India lost half their side for 98 in 27.5 overs. Pant and Jadeja led India's recovery with a double-hundred stand for the sixth wicket.
Pant was at his aggressive best as he clobbered 19 fours and four sixes in his 146 off 111 balls. Jadeja played the anchor role, scoring 104 off 194 balls, occupying the crease for 269 minutes. Thanks to the duo, India recovered to post 416 in the first innings. Pant and Jadeja's heroics, however, went in vain as England chased down a target of 378 courtesy of tons from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.
#3 (222) Vijay Hazare & Vijay Manjrekar - Headingley, June 1952
Vijay Hazare and Vijay Manjrekar also featured in a 222-run stand for the fourth wicket at Headingley in Leeds in June 1952 in the first Test of the four-match series. Batting first after winning the toss, the visitors crumbled to 42-3 before Hazare and Manjrekar led a fine rescue act.
Manjrekar scored a patient 133, hitting 19 fours in his 270-minute knock. Captaining the team, Hazare missed out on a well-deserved hundred. He was dismissed for a defiant 89. India posted 293 in their first innings, but ended up losing the Test by seven wickets as England easily chased down a target of 125.
#2 (249) Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar - Headingley, August 2002
The famed Indian batting pair of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar added 249 runs for the fourth wicket in Leeds in August 2002 in the third Test of the four-match series. Batting first, India got off to a great start as Rahul Dravid hit 148. Tendulkar and Ganguly then combined to put the visitors to total command.
Tendulkar scored 193 off 330 balls, hitting 19 fours and three sixes. He missed out on a double ton as he was trapped lbw by Andrew Caddick. Skipper Ganguly scored 128 off 167 balls, slamming 14 fours and three sixes. He was eventually bowled by Alex Tudor. India posted a mammoth 628-8 declared and went on to win the Test by an innings and 46 runs.
#1 (255) Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar - Nottingham, July 1996
Ganguly and Tendulkar hold the record for the highest partnership by an Indian pair in Tests in England. The duo added 255 in Nottingham in July 1996 in the third Test of the three-match series. The series is famously remembered for the impressive Test debuts of Ganguly and Dravid.
India batted first after winning the toss in Nottingham, but lost their openers with just 33 on the board. Ganguly and Tendulkar then added 255 runs for the third wicket. Tendulkar top-scored with 177 off 360 balls, hitting 26 fours, while Ganguly was dismissed for 136 off 268, a knock that featured 17 fours and two sixes. Dravid also contributed 84, but the high-scoring Test ended in a draw.