A Dozen years of dominance: The great Indian Test streak in pictures

Barack Obama was the President of the United States of America, and Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of India when the Men in Blue started their famed 12-year home Test series winning streak.

It was every bit as glorious as you expect — visiting teams coming and then their blood being sucked out by the spinners and the Indian batters. However, was it just that? Was it just about India using their home advantage to plaster teams into the walls of submission one series after the other? Was it just about India’s (almost) inevitable dominance? Also, what about the moments that came in the way? 

There’s no better way to reminisce about all that than pictures. Those moments of sheer drama, celebration, agony, and so many ‘war minus shooting’ moments are all captured in the camera. As the cricketing world comes to terms with the enormity of New Zealand’s achievement, let’s dive into those good old days for the Indian fans, which they are already remembering with rose-tinted nostalgia on social media platforms.  

> Where it all started: The 2013 Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT)

Who would have thought that a team just out of transition would not only defeat the Australians with supreme ease at home but also unearth potential legends of the format — R. Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara — in the same series? Probably, MS Dhoni also couldn’t have guessed that this was the beginning of the end of his Test career and the beginning of a new era in Indian Test cricket under Virat Kohli. 

But here we are, with the gift of hindsight, understanding the chronology of events that occurred more than a decade ago. 

> The Master’s last and many firsts

Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test series in 2013 was also the solidifying of India’s newfound core in Test cricket, with Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Mohammed Shami all putting in performances to establish their presence in the red-ball world. As it would turn out, Rohit would take half a decade more to seal his spot. 

> When Ashwin’s brilliance became apparent

31 wickets in just seven innings from Ashwin ensured that even a star-studded South African team was no match for the Indians as they won the series 2-0. This win also served as a stamp of approval for Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s utility in Indian Test cricket, as both picked 54 of the 70 Proteas wickets to fall. 

> The Ace with the Mace

India’s increased focus on Test Cricket under Ravi Shastri and Kohli was bearing superb results. It had become clear by this point to the cricketing world that defeating India in at home in Test cricket will be one of the most challenging assignments in the game. 

> Euphoria and tragedy of Karun Nair’s triple hundred

It remains one of the biggest achievements by an Indian batter in 12 years of unflinching dominance. However, Karun Nair could never cement a spot for himself in the Indian Test side even after this triple hundred. Meanwhile, India were swatting away oppositions like flies at home as England became their newest victim. 

> The Pune Pulverisation

Very few would have known who Steve O’Keefe was before the first Border Gavaskar Trophy 2017-18 Test in Pune. However, no one would forget his name after that performance, which handed India a shocker of a defeat. Also, for the first time since 2013, India absolutely crumbled against finger spin in back-to-back innings. 

> War Minus the Shooting

The 2017 BGT was hands down the most controversial and dramatic home Test series played by India in this 12-year period. What Ishant Sharma is doing here is almost nothing compared to what he was caught doing on live broadcast during the series. 

> The horsemen behind India’s home dominance

India’s home dominance wasn’t just built on spin prowess. Ishant Sharma (bowling average of 31.1 in 48 innings), Umesh Yadav (average of 25.4 in 56 innings), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (average of 26.2 in 21 innings), Mohammed Shami (average of 22.1 in 42 innings), and the newest but greatest member of this pace group, Jasprit Bumrah (average of 17.2 in 23 innings) have had immense roles to play in continuing this streak for 4,331 days. 

> When the King reigned supreme

This was the phase when scoring double centuries in Test cricket came as easy to Kohli as scoring a hundred in ODI cricket. That 2016-2018 period in Test cricket was his peak, and his two double hundreds in a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in 2017 was the zenith of that peak. Kohli never scaled the same heights in this format at home again.  

> Rise of The Bapu

Axar Patel became a phenomenon after England batters couldn’t play him even to save their lives. He rose like a star in Test cricket on his home ground in Ahmedabad and is now a three-format star for India. His story also began as a subplot in this historical streak. 

> The cracks are visible in the fortress

Nathan Lyon might have spun Australia to victory in Indore; however, top-order collapses against spin became a much bigger concern for India in this period. This was the first time a huge crack was visible in India’s impregnable fortress. 

> The New Gen is here

‘Garden me ghoomne waale ladke’, as Rohit called them (and Dhruv Jurel), showed against England in this series in 2024 that India’s next crop is ready to take the mantle from the Kohlis and Rohits if and when necessary. The end of the current generation was now visible in the rearview mirror. 

> Cyclone ‘Mitch Santner’ blows the fortress away

He came with one of the poorest records as a visiting spinner in India. Now, he’ll go with India’s batting order and their 12-year streak in his pocket. The end might have felt abrupt. But the cyclone was aided by the cracks that had weakened the foundation. All that was needed was a strong gust of wind with full intensity, and Santner’s left arm spin became the conduit for that. 

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