5 standout Indian batting performances in England

From Ajinkya Rahane's century on a green top at Lord's to Sachin Tendulkar's maiden Test century, which helped India save the Old Trafford Test match in 1990.

Published : Jul 30, 2018 17:18 IST

On a pitch which was as green as the outfield, Ajinkya Rahane scored a counter-attacking hundred against an England attack featuring its two premier fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, giving India a position a strength in the Test match. Rahane profited from some old-fashioned Test batting from Murali Vijay and Chesteshwar Pujara, who blunted the new ball on the first-day track. However, his efforts were overshadowed by Ishant Sharma's seven-wicket heroics which scripted India's second Test win at the Lord's. Former England spinner Graeme Swann, however, felt it was the first innings which proved to be decisive. "Ajinkya Rahane was without a doubt the standout Indian player in the second Test. There is no way he could have ever batted on a wicket like this. He would have turned up on the first morning, and thought to himself 'How do you bat on a pitch like this?' And then he went on to get that beautiful hundred," said Swann.

Before Rahane, there was Vengsarkar. The elegant right-hander went on to script his name on the Lord's honours board on three occasions - 1979, 1982 and 1986. This feat earned him the moniker 'Lord of Lord's'. For the man himself, the 1986 effort ranks the best among the three. "India won that Test, the first time ever at Lord’s," Vengsarkar said. The English bowlers were tired at the sight of Vengsarkar on the tour as he followed up the effort at Lord's by scoring another unbeaten hundred at Headingley in yet another Indian win.

Known for his high-risk stroke-making when he burst onto the scene, Dhoni showed that he could also play the waiting game when needed. Batting on the final day of the opening Test of the series, Dhoni walked in to bat at four for 143 at the end of 46 overs. The wicketkeeper-batsman occupied the crease for 203 minutes. Dhoni and rain helped India escape with a draw. Dhoni's gritty batting aided by an umpiring error meant England was unable to prise out the final wicket needed for the win. The draw aided India to go on and win the second Test at Nottingham to win the series 1-0.

The first of hundred hundreds. After the introduction to Test cricket at the age of 16, Tendulkar announced himself with an unbeaten hundred on the last day to save India from defeat. Having scored 68 in the first innings, Tendulkar made his form count with a stroke-filled hundred in the second. With India precariously placed at 183 for six wickets with the senior batsmen removed, Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar added an unbeaten 160-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Tendulkar may have been left aggrieved when the last ball of the day was bowled as India was just 65 runs short of the target of 408.

Sourav Ganguly made a bold call of electing to bat first on an overcast morning at Leeds. HIs decision was vindicated in the form of his No. 3 Rahul Dravid and opener Sanjay Bangar who batted together for nearly quarter of the day. When Bangar fell for 68 in the 75th over, India had 185 on the board. Dravid's seven-hour epic will stand the test of time. Coming into the series, the Karnataka batsman had taken the help of the physical trainer, Adrian Le Roux, to shed some kilos and become leaner. Another interesting aspect from Dravid's knock is he scored 23 boundaries, which means he scored 56 runs facing as many as 284 deliveries. Tendulkar and Ganguly too scored hundreds in the same innings.

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On a pitch which was as green as the outfield, Ajinkya Rahane scored a counter-attacking hundred against an England attack featuring its two premier fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, giving India a position a strength in the Test match. Rahane profited from some old-fashioned Test batting from Murali Vijay and Chesteshwar Pujara, who blunted the new ball on the first-day track. However, his efforts were overshadowed by Ishant Sharma's seven-wicket heroics which scripted India's second Test win at the Lord's. Former England spinner Graeme Swann, however, felt it was the first innings which proved to be decisive. "Ajinkya Rahane was without a doubt the standout Indian player in the second Test. There is no way he could have ever batted on a wicket like this. He would have turned up on the first morning, and thought to himself 'How do you bat on a pitch like this?' And then he went on to get that beautiful hundred," said Swann.
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