Most consecutive Test matches without defeat
As much as it is hard to win a Test, whether home or away, it is even harder to remain unbeaten for any amount of time. In over a century of Test cricket, only 16 times has a team managed to remain unbeaten in 15 or more consecutive Tests. Only four have gone unbeaten for more than 20 Tests and the world record for most consecutive Tests without defeat has remained unbroken in more than three decades.
India's win in the one-off Test against Bangladesh was not only Virat Kohli's sixth series since being appointed full-time time or India's 19th consecutive Test match without defeat but also elevated them into an elite list that comprises of some of the best sides to have ever played the game.
Apart from India, England, Australia and West Indies appear in the top five of this list, including one side that appears twice. Here is the list of teams who have the longest unbeaten run in Test history:
#5 India - 19 Tests
Courtesy of their win over Bangladesh in the one-off Test, India entered into this list and overtook England and Australia (18 Tests) into fifth place. Virat Kohli's reign as full-time captain has so far resulted in six successive series win and an unbeaten run of 19 Tests. That streak ended in the first Test at Pune, where they lost to Australia by 333 runs.
After losing the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2015, nobody could have foreseen what was going to happen thereafter. Not only did they win the remaining two Tests but also their first Test series in Sri Lanka since 1993. Soon after, they beat South Africa 3-0 at home, who at the time, hadn't lost an away Test series in a decade.
While the amount of turn in the pitches prepared for the series was questioned by some, they have since answered all the critics by winning 2-0 in West Indies, whitewashing New Zealand at home and beating England 4-0 and Bangladesh 1-0 on pitches that have largely been good for batting.
Virat Kohli holds the Indian record for most consecutive series wins and would have been looking to move up but the streak was ended after a convincing performance by Australia at Pune, where they bowled out India for 105 and 107 courtesy of Steve O’Keefe’s 6/35 in both innings.