The forthcoming Test series is billed as the battle for the position of World number one, and rightly so. India have the global superstars but England seem to have the superior all-round package. In the past thirty years of so, the two nations have enjoyed some close encounters with neither side truly dominant in a series.
In 1979, the four-match rubber was decided by England's innings victory in the 1st Test, when David Gower scored an unbeaten 200. However, the series is perhaps best remembered for India's gallant chasing of a world record 438 and missing it by just nine runs. Sunil Gavaskar's 221 was a supreme effort and one of the great 'losing' innings in history. In 1982, it was Ian Botham's turn to hit a 'double' at The Oval but it was at Lord's where England won the only match of the series, thanks to a Derek Randall century and fine bowling by Botham.
Four years later, India exacted revenge in a low-scoring series. They won two of the three Tests, given the edge by Dilip Vengsarkar's runs and the bowling of Chetan Sharma and the spinners. No Bedi, Venkat or Chandrasekhar, as in their 1971 triumph, but Kapil Dev's team deserved to beat Mike Gatting's men.
The 1990 series is famed for Graham Gooch's 333 and 123 at Lord's in the First Test which England won comfortably. However, India's batsmen also accumulated plenty of runs that summer, including a young Sachin Tendulkar at Old Trafford. Ravi Shastri and Sidhu had the roles of replacing the great Gavaskar, and Ravi struck 187 at The Oval, with Kapil Dev weighing in with 110 as they forced the home side to follow on.
Another one-nil to England, and so it again proved in 1996, once more getting off to a winning start, this time at Edgbaston. Azharuddin's tourists welcomed some fresh faces in Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid in the 2nd game, the former making a debut Test century, then again reaching three figures during a 255 third wicket partnership with Tendulkar in a drawn climax at Trent Bridge.
Six years later, England again triumphed in the 1st Test, thanks to hundreds from skipper Hussain, Vaughan and Crawley. By now, Ganguly was captain of India, and had both Sehwag and Laxman in the batting line-up, plus Zaheer Khan bowling with Nehra, Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar. Michael Vaughan twice narrowly missed reaching 200 in the final two games and it was in the Third at Headingley where India squared the series with a demolition of England by an innings and 46 runs. Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly helped themselves to hefty hundreds, while Kumble and Harbhajan Singh tightened the screw on England.
India moved into the ascendancy four years go, securing the Pataudi Trophy one-nil. However, they had to cling on for dear life to save the First Test, achieving it thanks to a patient 76 not out by MS Dhoni. Perhaps shocked by their failure to take an instant lead, England faltered at Trent Bridge, bowled out for under 200 in their first innings. Five Indians scored half-centuries in their reply and, although Vaughan made a captain's innings second time around, it wasn't enough to stop Dravid's team winning by seven wickets. At The Oval, India won the toss and amassed 664 all out, ending any hopes of England avoiding a series defeat. Once more, all the Indian batsmen made useful contributions, led perhaps surprisingly by Kumble's one and only Test century. They didn't enforce the follow-on, presumably in the hope that their chief spinner could wreak havoc on the last day. He didn't, but his side took the trophy and went on to dominate the world - but will they still be on top come September?!
Sachin Tendulkar has a reasonable chance of overtaking Gavaskar as the leading scorer in contests between the two teams. His average so far of 61.4 is vastly superior to his predecessor's 38.2. Helped by that record-breaking game in 1990, Graham Gooch is the leading England run-maker against India, with 1725, more than 700 behind Gavaskar. However, of the leading players, it's Englishmen Botham and Vaughan who enjoyed the highest career batting averages, both above 70.
Unsurprisingly, India's ace spinners have taken more wickets than anybody else in India-England Tests. Chandra (95), Kumble (92) and Bedi (85), plus Kapil Dev, are way ahead of England's challengers, led by Bob Willis (62). Of those still playing, Harbhajan Singh has 41 and James Anderson a mere 24. However, the latter must surely boost that total this summer, especially if India's famed batting line-up struggles as it has done, Raina apart, at Taunton last weekend. Roll on, Lord's. If Dhoni's team can only thwart England at the first hurdle, history suggests it could be another triumph for India.
