India’s Test records at Kennington Oval, London

The Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England has now reached an exciting stage. Four matches of this five-match series have been completed so far. England is leading the series 2-1.

The final match of this exciting series will be played at Kennington Oval, London. Victory is a must for Team India in this final and decisive Test match to be held from July 31. However, the record of the Indian team on this ground has been worrying, due to which the match is expected to be even more challenging. Team India faces the difficult challenge of defeating England in the last Test and ending the series on a draw.

Also Read: Most runs in a series in Tests

India’s Test records at Oval

India has played a total of 15 Test matches at Kennington, Oval so far. Out of which 14 matches have been played between India and England, while one match was the final of the World Test Championship between India and Australia.

In these matches, India has won only twice, while it has faced defeat six times. The remaining seven matches have ended in a draw. These figures show that this ground has not been easy for India.

India played its first Test match on this ground in August 1936, in which it lost to England by 9 wickets. After this, the matches held in 1946 and 1952 were drawn, but in 1959 India had to face a crushing defeat by an innings and 27 runs.

Also Read: Most Runs for India in a Test Series

First victory in 1971

India got its first victory at the Oval in the year 1971. This victory is counted among the golden moments of Indian cricket history. Under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar, India defeated England by 4 wickets and registered its first big Test victory abroad. This victory proved to be a milestone for Indian cricket at that time.

A long string of defeats

From 1979 to 2007, India played five Test matches here, all of which were draws. India struggled during these years, but victory remained elusive. After this, a series of defeats started in 2011, when England defeated India by an innings and 8 runs. In 2014, India again lost by an innings and 244 runs, which was one of its biggest defeats at that time. In 2018 also, India had to face defeat by 118 runs.

Historic victory of 2021

However, in 2021, India performed its best at the Oval and defeated England by 157 runs. This victory was the biggest victory ever for Team India on this ground. In that match, both the bowlers and the batsmen performed brilliantly, which gave new energy to India's confidence.

WTC Final disappointment

In July 2023, India played the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) against Australia at the Oval. However, in this title match, India had to face defeat by 209 runs and another disappointing record was added to the Oval.

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India’s Test records at Oval match-wise

India’s Test records at Oval performance-wise

• Highest Total: 664 vs England in 2007
• Lowest Total: 94 vs England in 2014
• Best Batting: Sunil Gavaskar (221) in 1979
• Best Bowling: BS Chandrasekhar (6/38) in 1971