How many consecutive Test series did India win at home before IND vs NZ 2024 2nd Test?
Team India's illustrious red-ball run on home soil came to an unprecedented run after New Zealand attained an unassailable lead in the three-match series. The Blackcaps, following their massive win in Bengaluru in the series opener, secured a 113-run win in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.
Prior to this, India had last lost a home Test series against Alastair Cook-led England in 2012. On that occasion, MS Dhoni and co. had attained a series lead with a massive win in the first Test in Ahmedabad, which was followed by twin defeats in Mumbai and Kolkata. India had the opportunity to level the series, but the final Test in Nagpur ended up being a draw.
The 12-year phase between the two aforementioned series marked a historic era for Indian Test cricket. The Men in Blue avoided defeat across 18 consecutive series at home, making lives difficult for all opponents and bringing in a major fear factor along with it.
The streak began with a ruthless 4-0 whitewash against Australia, and India became more and more dominant as the years progressed. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin formed a legendary duo to spin a web around the oppositions, while pacers were able to come into play with the new ball and the reverse swing later on.
To go along with it, India had an imperious batting unit, which underwent a smooth transition. The trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli made up the backbone of the batting unit.
India's most recent series win at home before the streak came to an end came recently against Bangladesh.
Some of India's most iconic triumphs among the 18 consecutive series wins include the 4-0 whitewash against Australia, 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand and South Africa, a hard-fought 2-1 win over Australia in the 2016-17 Border-Gavaskar series, and consecutive series wins over England after being 0-1 down.
Team India's next home series is against West Indies in October 2025
Team India's home Test season will come to an end with the upcoming third Test against New Zealand. It also marks the team's final home affair in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Red-ball cricket will return to India in October 2025, when India host the West Indies for a two-match series in the 2025-27 WTC cycle.