Aakash Chopra ranks India's 5 greatest Test series victories
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has ranked Team India's five greatest Test series wins of the 21st century.
India were always considered a powerhouse at home but often proved to be easy meat for the opposition in away conditions. However, the advent of the 21st century saw India emerge as a force in foreign conditions, with Test series wins in all countries barring South Africa.
While talking about India's best Test series wins in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that he has only considered the encounters played in the current century and the ones he has watched closely.
Aakash Chopra picked the Virat Kohli-led Indian team's maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 at the No.5 spot. The reputed commentator reasoned that the Aussies had a depleted batting line-up due to the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner.
He said:
"At No.5, I have kept the 2018-19 India vs Australia series under Virat Kohli's captaincy. You won the first match at Adelaide, then lost at Perth, won in Melbourne with a draw in Sydney. It was the first time ever India won Down Under. It is a considered a huge win but there was a small caveat that Smith and Warner were not there. The Aussie bowling attack was world-class but the batting was struggling."
India's 2-1 home series win against Australia in 2017 was ranked fourth by Aakash Chopra. The Ajinkya Rahane-led team had won the final Test in Dharamsala in Virat Kohli's absence, bouncing back in the series after a defeat in the first encounter at Pune.
Aakash Chopra stated:
"At No.4 is the 2017 Test series at home against Australia. You lost the first match at Pune, you were behind in the game in Bangalore and came back and won. There was a draw in Ranchi and you won in Dharamsala when Kohli was not there. The pitch favoured the opposition with pace and bounce but India defeated the Aussies."
The 43-year-old ranked Team India's 2-1 Test series win in Pakistan in 2004 at the third spot. He pointed out that beating Pakistan on their home soil is no mean achievement.
Aakash Chopra observed:
"At No.3 is India's 2003-04 Test series win in Pakistan. It was the first time India had won a Test match on Pakistan soil. Virender Sehwag's triple-century and Tendulkar's unbeaten 190-odd along with excellent bowling helped India win in Multan. But we lost in Lahore. Rahul Dravid helped India win the final Test at Rawalpindi. Beating Pakistan in Pakistan in 2003-04 will be rated very highly."
Aakash Chopra's top two Indian Test series wins
Aakash Chopra ranked India's epochal 2001 Test series win against an all-conquering Australian side at the No.2 position. Team India had bounced back after a mauling in Mumbai in the first encounter and were forced to follow-on in the second to register a memorable series win.
He said:
"At No.2, I am going back to the 2001 Test series win against Australia. That was a different series because Australia was on a winning run and had come to India after winning 15 Test matches and made it 16 after beating India in Mumbai. India did not have Anil Kumble. They gave India a follow-on at the Eden Gardens. Then VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh and the rest as they say is history. We won the last match in Chennai. One of the finest series in the history of Test cricket."
The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph got Aakash Chopra's vote as India's best Test series win of the 21st century. He highlighted that Team India had registered a great win at Melbourne after an abysmal low in Adelaide.
Aakash Chopra stated:
"The series India has won now stands right at the top. This is because they lost the first pink-ball Test where they were dismissed for 36, they made history which they didn't want to. Along with that, they lost Kohli and Shami. The game starts changing at Melbourne. They lost the toss but there was an inspirational leadership and batting from Rahane. India wins that match, fighting as a unit."
Aakash Chopra lauded the Indian team's spirited fighting effort to draw the Sydney Test with Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin saving the day for them.
He continued:
"They lost the toss at Sydney again. Australia were 200/2 and conceded a big lead despite the bowlers fighting back. Australia played well in the second innings as well and Indian players were getting injured, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. But Pant came and sow the seeds of doubts. The injured Ashwin and Vihari and before that Pujara helped India draw that match somehow, which was much bigger than a win."
Aakash Chopra signed off by stating that Team India had done the unthinkable by winning the series-decider at the Gabba.
An injury-ravaged Indian team chased down 324 runs on the final day on Australia's happy hunting ground.
Aakash Chopra concluded:
"The draw took away Ashwin, Jadeja, Vihari and Bumrah. India goes into Gabba with an inexperienced bowling attack. But you keep fighting and chase down 324 runs on the final day. This is phenomenal, No.1 Test series win for India in the 21st century in my opinion. The odds were so much against that there was no chance of a win. All of us thought that drawing the match will be enough. But this team kept on fighting and won in the end."
The Sourav Ganguly-led side's 2001 Test series triumph against Australia is regarded as one of the greatest chapters in Indian cricket history. However, the Indian team's 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win might have trumped that, considering that it came with a heavily depleted team against an almost full-strength Aussie side in their own backyard.