England fightback win in Hyderabad ranks among greatest overseas Test victories

Ben Stokes’ side overcame a 190-run first-innings deficit to triumph by 28 runs.

England celebrated one of their greatest overseas Test wins in Hyderabad (Mahesh Kumar A/AP) (AP)

England recovered from a first-innings deficit of 190 to complete a thrilling 28-run first-Test win over India in Hyderabad.

Here, we look at England’s greatest overseas Test wins.

v Australia, first Test, Sydney, 1894

Australia made 586 despite having been 21 for three, Syd Gregory scoring 201 and George Giffen 161, and they were able to enforce the follow-on after bowling England out for 325.

Albert Ward’s century anchored a second effort of 437 and Bobby Peel then took six for 67 to dismiss Australia 11 short of their 177 target. There would not be another Test won after following on for another 87 years, until Ian Botham’s Headingley heroics in the 1981 Ashes, and there have still been only four in history.

v West Indies, first Test, Kingston, 1990

England had not won a Test against the all-conquering Windies since 1974 and had several players absent on a just-concluded rebel tour of South Africa, but bowled their hosts out for 164 in Jamaica as Angus Fraser took five for 28.

Allan Lamb then made 132, Gladstone Small and Devon Malcolm took four second-innings wickets apiece and England knocked off the 41 runs required for a famous nine-wicket win.

v Australia, second Test, Adelaide, 2010

Off the back of scoring 517 for one in their second innings of the drawn opener in Brisbane’s fearsome ‘Gabbatoir’, England had Australia nought for two and two for three on the first morning in Adelaide.

They recovered somewhat to 245 but Sir Alastair Cook made 148 and Kevin Pietersen 227 in England’s 620 for five before they declared and completed an innings win with Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul. England’s 3-1 series win remains the last by the away team in the Ashes.

v India, second Test, Mumbai, 2012

Cook (122) and Pietersen (186) powered England to an 86-run first-innings lead and India collapsed for 142 second time around – Gautam Gambhir made 65 with the next best score being Ravichandran Ashwin’s 11 – as spinners Swann and Monty Panesar combined for all 10 wickets and 19 in the match. Cook and Nick Compton ticked off a 10-wicket win.

v Pakistan, first Test, Karachi, 2022

With ‘Bazball’ firmly established in Brendon McCullum’s first six months as coach, England produced a notable first ever series whitewash in Pakistan – kicked off by a memorable climax in Rawalpindi. On a batting-friendly pitch, England racked up 657 with four centuries – Harry Brook smashing 153 from 116 balls – but the hosts responded with 579.

Ben Stokes’ bold tea-time declaration at 264 for seven, Brook clubbing another 87, set a target of 343 in four sessions and in near darkness on the final evening, Ollie Robinson and James Anderson reduced Pakistan from 259 for five to 264 for nine before Jack Leach took the final wicket.

v India, first Test, Hyderabad, 2024

India, who had lost only three of their last 46 home Tests and no series since 2012, were 356 for five in response to England’s 246 but lost their last five wickets for 80 – three to Joe Root’s part-time off-spin.

Ollie Pope took it upon himself to wipe out the first-innings deficit with an innings of 196 as England posted 420 to set the hosts 231 to win. Debutant Tom Hartley’s figures of seven for 62 and Stokes’ diving backhand run-out stood out as they succumbed for 202 – the first time they had ever lost a home Test with a three-figure first-innings lead.