The India national cricket team and the England cricket team has one of the most ancient rivalries (sort of!) that give birth to some of the most thrilling moments in cricketing history. Their games are always filled with intense competition, amazing talent and high strategy.
These two cricketing giants played off in a Test match series in the 2023-24 season. After the first Test in January, teams fought off in a five-match series known as Anthony de Mello Trophy.
This article entails a detailed overview of the Test match series, including some key performances and outcomes.
1st Test Match: Chennai (25-29 January, 2024)
The first Test of the series was played at the iconic M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It was quite an exciting contest, and the crowd was literally holding its breath at all times. The match not only put their skill to test but mental strength also, because both the team were keen on getting the upper hand early in the series.
Key Details:
- Match: 1st Test, England Tour of India
- Date: January 25-29, 2024
- Venue:A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Result: England won by 28 runs.
This was the first contest of the series and very crucial for both these teams as it set the tone for the rest of the series. Conditions in Chennai favoured spinners, and hence, both teams adjusted their strategy accordingly.
Scorecard Overview
England 1st Innings:
England won the toss and asked to bat first to score as many runs as possible against India and put India under pressure from the beginning. The English batting order was up against a strong Indian bowling lineup but still managed to score a decent total.
- Total: 246 all out in 64.3 overs
- Top Scorer: Ben Stokes – 70 off 88 balls
Other notable contributors to the English score were:
- Zak Crawley scored 20 runs off 40 balls with 3 fours.
- Ben Duckett added 35 runs off 39 balls with 7 fours.
- Ollie Pope struggled with just 1 run off 11 balls.
- Joe Root contributed 29 runs off 60 balls.
- Jonny Bairstow made a valuable contribution of 37 runs off 58 balls.
- Ben Stokes led from the front with a solid innings of 70 runs off 88 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes.
- Jos Buttler managed only 4 runs off 24 balls.
- Rehan Ahmed scored 13 runs off 18 balls.
- Tom Hartley added 23 runs off 24 balls with 2 fours and a six.
- Mark Wood contributed an additional 11 runs off 24 balls.
India 1st Innings:
India responded strongly to England’s total, capitalizing on their home advantage and familiar conditions.
- Total: 436 all out in 121 overs
- Top Scorer: KL Rahul – 86 runs off 123 balls
Key contributions included:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a very good score of 80 from 74 balls, added the furry of four boundaries and three sixes to the score.
- Rohit Sharma also contributed a quick-fire score of 24 runs off 27 balls with three fours.
- Shubman Gill came in to contribute a moderate score of 23 runs off 66 balls.
- KL Rahul looked solid and anchored the innings with his contribution of 86 runs off 123 balls, which included eight fours and two sixes.
- Shreyas Iyer scored useful runs of 35 off 63 deliveries.
- Ravindra Jadeja scored a good 87 runs off an important spell at the crease (180 deliveries); he hit 7 fours and twice over the boundary.
- Srikar Bharat played as wicketkeeper-batsman making a useful run of 41 off 81 deliveries.
England 2nd Innings:
With a huge deficit in the first innings, England needed a solid performance from the batsmen in the second innings to make it a competitive game.
- Total: 420 runs in 102.1 overs
- Highest scorer: Ollie Pope – 196 off 278 balls
Important contributions to this were:
- Zak Crawley scored just 31 runs
- Ben Duckett contributed 47 runs to the total
- Ollie Pope, anchored the innings pretty well with 196 runs.
- Joe Root again went in a shell making just 2 runs.
- Jonny Bairstow scored 10 runs.
India 2nd Innings:
India chased a target set by England’s second innings to clinch the match. However, India could not move forward as its bowlers went into tatters at the hands of the Englishmen.
India lost all wickets to tally a total of 202 runs from their second innings.
Match Highlights:
There were a number of impressive performances during the match:
- Ollie Pope Match-winning performance: His near double hundred proved to be the decisive factor in setting up a challenging target for India.
- Ben Stokes as Skipper and Batsman: Stokes proved himself to be a leader not only with the bat but also made crucial decisions in the game and changed its course.
- Bowling: Both teams boasted wonderful bowling attacks-the Indian spinners were exploited well in their home ground while England’s bowling attack maintained pressure levels throughout the innings.
- Fielding: Impactful catches or run-outs greatly affected the game while turning out to the decisive moments of the game.
2nd Test Match: Visakhapatnam (February 2-6, 2024)
The second Test was played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. India aimed to make a comeback after losing the first Test and to level the series.
Match Summary:
- Result: India won by 106 runs
- India 1st Innings: 396 all out (112 overs)
- England 1st Innings: 253 all out (55.5 overs)
- India 2nd Innings: 255 all out (78.3 overs)
- England 2nd Innings: 292 all out (69.2 overs)
Best Performance:
- Yashaswi Jaswal played a great knock for India, wherein he scored 179 against the opponents in the first innings.
- On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 5 wickets for India in the first innings of England.
- Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett both tried their might against India and scored 67 and 75 runs, respectively.
It was an important match for India as the victory enabled them to level the series 1-1.
3rd Test Match: Rajkot (February 15-19, 2024)
The third Test of this series was hosted at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Both the teams were in high spirits to win the series.
Match Summary:
- Result: India won by 434 runs
- India 1st Innings: 445 all out (130.5 overs)
- England 1st Innings: 319 all out (71.1 overs)
- India 2nd Innings: 430/4 declared (98 overs)
- England 2nd Innings: 122 all out (39.4 overs)
Key Performances:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a magnificent 149, justifying his ability and temperament.
- Kuldeep Yadav grabbed 3 wickets for the Indian team in England’s second innings and tore England’s batting line-up to shreds.
This comprehensive win enabled India to take a crucial 2-1 advantage in the series.
4th Test Match: Ranchi (February 23-27, 2024)
The fourth test match was played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. The tournament saw Team India with an upper hand over the opponent, as England were in the desperate need of a win to survive in the competition.
Match Summary:
- Result: India won by 5 wickets
- England 1st Innings: 353 all out (104.5 overs)
- India 1st Innings: 307 all out (103.2 overs)
- England 2nd Innings: 145 all out (53.5 overs)
- India 2nd Innings: 192/5 (61 overs)
Key Performances:
- English cricketer Ben Stokes will always be remembered for his brilliant aggressive batting, which helped him get to 92 runs for the first innings of the game.
- Rohit Sharma scored 75 runs for India to help win the match.
India now boast of a series lead of 3-1, which brings them very close to winning the overall series.
5th Test Match: Dharamsala (March 7-11, 2024)
The series finale Test was played at the beautiful Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The Indians had already sealed their series victory, and so it was more a matter of pride for England.
Match Summary:
- Result: India won by an innings and 64 runs
- India 1st Innings: 477 all out (124.1 overs)
- England 1st Innings: 218 all out (57.4 overs)
- England 2nd Innings: 195 all out (48.1 overs)
Key Performances:
- KL Rahul’s 130 runs made sure Indian batting remained firm
- Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded some crucial bowling to rock through England’s batting
This was not only marvellous and comprehensive win against the opposition but also to cement their position over England in home conditions.
Conclusion
There was very tough competition between India and England in the five-match Test series of 2023-24, with outstanding display from both teams, ultimately resulting in India winning the series by 4-1, signaling a statement about its strength and flexibility on home turf.
The tournament-changing performances by the likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja did everything that could motivate the Indian team. The bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, have definitely entered the ground and left no stones unturned in touching the roots of the English batting order.
When both teams look at future encounters, this series will be remembered for its thrilling moments and high-stakes cricket that kept the fans glued from start to finish.
Crazy about Cricket? Read more here
- ODI World Cup Winners List (1975-2023)
- Top 10 Richest Cricketers in India
- IPL Stump Price
- Who Has Hit the Longest Six in Cricket History?