The age-old rivalry between India and England resumes this week when Virat Kohli's men take on Joe Root's England cricket team in first of the four-match Test series, starting from February 5 at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.
India vs England head-to-head count is pretty subtle. The two teams have played 122 Test matches between them and England, with 47 wins, hold the edge. India have won 26, while a whopping 49 have ended in a draw. The weight, however, has slightly shifted in India's favour since the turn of the century. Since 2000, India and England have played 38 Test matches, with the former winning 12 and the latter winning 15.
The two teams are rightly expected to play an edge-of-the-seat encounter considering the fact that both are coming on the back of inspiring Test series wins.
| India vs England head-to-head |
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| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Tied | Win % |
| India | 122 | 26 | 49 | 0 | 21.31 |
| England | 122 | 47 | 49 | 0 | 38.52 |
What further aids India's advantage is the return of some of their key members, including captain Kohli, Ishant Sharma and Jaspreet Bumrah, and England's past record, which is utterly substandard at its very best. Since their 2-1 win in a five-match Test series in 1984/85, England have won just one of their last six Test series in India. They have been whitewashed once during this period.
Both India and England have enjoyed batting at MA Chidambaram's pitch, especially in the first innings. While Kohli's men have crossed the 400-run mark thrice in their last five first-innings total, England have done in twice. The two teams have clashed nine times in Chennai in Test cricket, and India have uprightly dominated the proceedings, winning five times and losing just thrice.
| India vs England in Chennai |
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| Team | Result | Margin | Date |
| India | won | inns & 75 runs | 16-Dec-16 |
| India | won | 6 wickets | 11-Dec-08 |
| India | won | inns & 22 runs | 11-Feb-93 |
| India | lost | 9 wickets | 13-Jan-85 |
| India | draw | - | 13-Jan-82 |
| India | lost | 200 runs | 14-Jan-77 |
| India | won | 4 wickets | 12-Jan-73 |
| India | won | inns & 8 runs | 06-Feb-52 |
| India | lost | 202 runs | 10-Feb-34 |
While the Indian cricket team's away form has been a hit and miss, their returns at home are simply outstanding. They are, in fact, heading into the series on the back of five victories out of their last five home Tests matches. Make no mistake though as England are coming on the similar record, albeit away from home (five wins in five away Test matches).
Furthermore, while India's record against England has been substandard in Test cricket, the fact remains that they are a force to reckon with at home having won four of their last five home Tests against the Three Lions. Given England's track record at MA Chidambaram Stadium (one win in last five Tests), they might very well end up as the second-best.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Patrick Hamilton
