India beat England at The Oval in 1971 — their first ever Test victory in England after 39 years of trying — through Bhagwath Chandrasekhar's 6/38 that bowled England out for 101, completing a 4-wicket win that validated a decade of Indian cricket development.
India chased 173 with controlled aggression. Farokh Engineer's 28, then Wadekar's 45, and finally Dilip Sardesai's anchor innings guided India home. They won by 4 wickets.
Ajit Wadekar walked off The Oval with the trophy. In India, the streets of Mumbai celebrated through the night. It was the first sign that Indian cricket — long dominated by England and Australia — could compete and win on foreign soil on the strength of native skills.
Chandrasekhar's 6/38 — England bowled out for 101
India chasing 173 — controlled, deliberate
4-wicket win — first India Test victory in England
August 1971
3rd Test, The Oval — England 355 first innings
England 2nd innings
Chandrasekhar 6/38 — England 101 all out
India chase
India 174/6 — first Test win in England in 39 years
India also won their first Test series in West Indies in 1971 (the same year). 1971 is considered Indian cricket's independence year — the year they stopped being also-rans. The spin quartet of Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna, and Venkat became the most feared bowling combination in Test cricket.
A watershed moment for Indian cricket — 39 years of waiting, ended by leg-spin on The Oval. The 1971 India side confirmed that India's spinners could beat any team in the world, not just on home pitches.
The Oval 1971 is the origin of modern Indian cricket's belief in itself. Everything — the 1983 World Cup win, the Test match wins of the 2000s — traces its lineage to the confidence built by Wadekar's 1971 side.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.