The India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team timeline begins on June 25, 1932, at Lord’s Cricket Ground. That’s when India played their very first Test match, losing to England by 158 runs. Over 90 years and hundreds of matches later, the India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team rivalry has grown into one of the most-watched contests in world cricket. It spans 3 formats, multiple decades, and generations of players on both sides.
As of May 2026, India and England have played 280+ matches across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. The most recent chapter, the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England in 2025, ended in a gripping 2-2 draw decided by 6 runs at The Oval. The balance of power keeps shifting. That’s exactly what makes this rivalry worth tracking from the very start.
Table of Contents
India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1932 | India’s debut Test at Lord’s; England won by 158 runs |
| 1946 | First post-war Test series resumes in England |
| 1952 | India won their first Test series against England at home |
| 1959 | England won 5-0 in England; India’s lowest point of the era |
| 1971 | Historic Test series win in England under Ajit Wadekar (1-0) |
| 1974 | First ODI between India and England at Headingley; England won |
| 1983 | India beat England in 1983 World Cup group stage; went on to win the tournament |
| 1986 | India won Test series in England 2-0 under Kapil Dev |
| 1990 | Graham Gooch scored 333 at Lord’s; England posted 849/9d |
| 2002 | NatWest Trophy Final: India chased 326 at Lord’s in one of cricket’s great finishes |
| 2007 | India beat England in the ICC World Twenty20 at Durban |
| 2011 | England won Test series in India 4-0 |
| 2012 | India won Test series at home against England 2-1 |
| 2014 | England won Test series in England 3-1; Ishant’s 7/74 at Lord’s was the standout |
| 2018 | England won Test series 4-1; India won ODI series 2-1 on the same tour |
| 2021 | India led 2-1 after 4 Tests in England; 5th Test postponed due to COVID |
| 2022 | England won rescheduled 5th Test at Edgbaston by 7 wickets; India won the ODI series |
| 2024 | India won home Test series 4-1 against Ben Stokes’ “Bazball” England |
| 2025 | Inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England ends 2-2; India won 5th Test at The Oval by 6 runs |
India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Timeline Head-to-Head Record
(Updated to May 2026)
| Format | Matches | India Wins | England Wins | Draws / Tied / NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 141 | 37 | 53 | 51 |
| ODIs | 110 | 61 | 44 | 5 |
| T20Is | 29 | 17 | 12 | 0 |
| Overall | 280 | 115 | 109 | 56 |
England hold the edge in Tests. India lead in ODIs and T20Is. Across all formats combined, India have now pulled ahead.
Test Match Timeline
1932–1951: The Early Years
India played their first Test on June 25, 1932, at Lord’s. They lost by 158 runs. That single match set the tone for the next 2 decades: England were simply better organized, had stronger players, and played in familiar home conditions whenever they played at home.
The 1946 series resumed after World War II but didn’t shift the balance. India lost again.
1952–1970: The First Wins
1952 was the turning point. India won their first Test series against England at home. Vinoo Mankad contributed with both bat and ball, and the win at Madras in the final Test gave India their first-ever series victory over England.
The 1959 tour to England was rough. England won 5-0. But through the 1960s, India’s spinners, particularly at home, made the head-to-head far more competitive.
1971–1990: India Starts Winning Abroad
1971 is the year every Indian cricket fan knows. Under Ajit Wadekar, India won a Test series in England for the first time. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar took 6/38 in a decisive spell at The Oval to seal a 1-0 series win.
1986 brought the second series win in England, this time under Kapil Dev. India won 2-0. Dilip Vengsarkar scored centuries at Lord’s across consecutive tours.
England answered in 1990. Graham Gooch played the innings of his life: 333 at Lord’s as England posted 849/9d, the highest team total in India vs England Test history and England’s highest total ever.
1991–2010: A Competitive Rivalry
India remained dominant at home. England struggled badly on the subcontinent through the 1990s and 2000s.
But England held strong in English conditions. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, their pace attack consistently exposed India’s top order against the moving ball.
The 2007 series saw brilliant individual performances on both sides. India won the 3-Test series 1-0. The result was closer than that suggests.
2011–Present: The Modern Era
England arrived in India in 2011 ranked No. 1 in the world. They left with a 4-0 series win. James Anderson and Stuart Broad bowled India out on flat pitches repeatedly and exposed a technical gap that hadn’t been seen before.
India rebuilt under MS Dhoni and later Virat Kohli. They won 2-1 at home in 2012. Then lost 3-1 in England in 2014, with Ishant Sharma’s 7/74 at Lord’s a rare Indian highlight.
2018 was England’s last clean series win on home soil: 4-1. But India won the ODI series 2-1 on the same tour, showing the gap in the shorter formats had closed considerably.
2021 set up something special. India led 2-1 with 1 Test to play in England. COVID ended the series early. The rescheduled 5th Test at Edgbaston in 2022 went to England by 7 wickets under Ben Stokes’ new-look “Bazball” team, chasing 378.
2024 was India’s reply. Rohit Sharma’s team beat England 4-1 at home. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 712 runs in the series. R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja dismantled the England batting on turning tracks.
2025: The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
This was the biggest India vs England Test series in recent memory. The Pataudi Trophy, which had been used since 2007, was replaced by the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, honouring England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson (704 Test wickets) and India’s all-time leading Test run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs).
The inaugural 5-match series spanned Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval. It went to a decider and produced some of the highest-quality Test cricket seen in years. The series ended 2-2.
Match by match:
- 1st Test, Headingley (June 20-24): England won by 5 wickets. Chasing 371, Ben Duckett’s 149 anchored a stunning run-chase. India had posted 471 in the first innings but couldn’t defend a target England fancied.
- 2nd Test, Edgbaston (July 2-6): India won by 336 runs. Shubman Gill scored 269, his career-best, and India posted 587. Akash Deep took 10 wickets in the match (10/187), including 6/99 in the first innings. It was India’s first-ever Test victory at Edgbaston.
- 3rd Test, Lord’s (July 10-14): England won by 22 runs. India needed 193 to win in the 4th innings and fell 22 short, bowled out for 170. Mohammed Siraj took 5 wickets in the second innings but England’s bowlers held their nerve even tighter.
- 4th Test, Old Trafford (July 23-27): Drawn. England posted 669, their highest score in this series. Joe Root scored 150 during the match, overtaking Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar. India batted out the final day, finishing 425/4 in their second innings.
- 5th Test, The Oval (July 31-Aug 4): India won by 6 runs. England needed 374 to win. They finished on 367, 6 runs short. Siraj took 5 wickets in the second innings to finish with 9 in the match. It was the narrowest Test win by India away from home, eclipsing their 13-run win over Australia in Mumbai in 2004-05. It was also the first time India had won the 5th Test of a series away from home.
Series retained: Since the series ended 2-2, and this was the inaugural edition, neither side won the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy outright.
India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team ODI Timeline
India and England first met in an ODI on July 13, 1974, at Headingley. England won by 4 wickets. That was the first chapter. 5 decades and 110 matches later, India lead 61-44.
India’s ODI dominance over England is one of the clearest head-to-head advantages in world cricket. They lead comfortably across conditions and formats.
Key ODI moments:
- 1983 Cricket World Cup: India beat England in the group stage, then won the entire tournament. That campaign started the reset of Indian cricket’s ambitions.
- 2002 NatWest Trophy Final: India chased 326 at Lord’s. Yuvraj Singh (69) and Mohammad Kaif (87*) finished the job. Sourav Ganguly’s shirt-waving celebration became one of Indian cricket’s defining images.
- 2013 ICC Champions Trophy: England beat India in the group stage. India beat England in the final at Edgbaston to win the tournament.
- 2018 ODI series in England: India won 2-1. Virat Kohli scored 3 consecutive centuries across the series.
- 2022 ODI series in England: India won 2-1.
- 2023 ODI World Cup (group stage): India beat England by 100 runs in Lucknow.
India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team T20I Timeline
The first T20I between India and England came at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in Durban. India won by 18 runs. The match became famous for Yuvraj Singh hitting 6 sixes off Stuart Broad in a single over.
Since then, they’ve played 29 T20Is. India now lead 17-12.
Key T20I moments:
- 2007 ICC World T20, Durban: India won by 18 runs. Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixes off Stuart Broad in one over became one of cricket’s most-watched moments.
- 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, Adelaide: England won by 10 wickets in the semifinal. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales chased 169 without losing a wicket.
- 2024 ICC T20 World Cup: India beat England in the semifinal by 68 runs, then went on to win the tournament.
- 2026 ICC T20 World Cup: India beat England in the semifinal at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai by 7 runs.
For More Timelines Read : India National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Timeline
Memorable India vs England Matches
2002 NatWest Trophy Final, Lord’s
India needed 326 to win. At 146/5, it looked over. Then Yuvraj Singh (69) and Mohammad Kaif (87*) put on a match-winning partnership. India won with 3 balls to spare.
Sourav Ganguly ripped his shirt off at the Lord’s balcony. That image is still referenced every time India win something big in England.
2011 Test Series in India
England arrived ranked No. 1 and played like it. The 4-0 series win over India at home was unprecedented. Anderson and Broad were relentless. India’s batting crumbled to late swing repeatedly.
It forced a structural rethink of Indian Test cricket. Rahul Dravid retired shortly after. Sachin Tendulkar played his final series against England in 2012.
2014 Lord’s Test
Ishant Sharma took 7/74 in one of India’s best away performances. India won by 95 runs. It was India’s first Test win at Lord’s in 28 years. The spell put Ishant into the conversation about India’s great away performers.
2021 Lord’s Test
India won by 151 runs. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma opened with a 126-run stand. Jasprit Bumrah bowled a spell on the 4th evening that broke England’s chase before it started.
It confirmed India had come to England in 2021 to compete, not to survive.
2022 Edgbaston Test (Rescheduled 5th Test)
England needed 378 in the 4th innings. They got there with 7 wickets to spare. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow scored centuries. It was one of the great 4th-innings chases and defined what Ben Stokes’ “Bazball” era stood for.
India went from a series lead of 2-1 going into this match to a 2-2 final score.
2025 Edgbaston Test (2nd Test, Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy)
Shubman Gill scored 269 in Edgbaston. Akash Deep took 10 wickets in the match. India posted 587 in the first innings and won by 336 runs.
It was India’s first-ever Test win at this ground. It answered England’s Bazball comeback from 2022 directly on the same pitch.
2025 Oval Test (5th Test, Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy)
England needed 374. They finished on 367. India won by 6 runs in what became the narrowest Test win by India away from home.
Siraj took 9 wickets in the match. Every ball of the final session had a full ground on its feet. It was the 5th Test of 5, with the series locked 2-2, and India held their nerve to level it.
India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Timeline Records
Most Runs (Tests – India vs England)
| Player | Country | Matches | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | England | 37 | 3,150+ | 54.82 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 32 | 2,535 | 46.94 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | 38 | 2,483 | 42.46 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 33 | 2,431 | 43.41 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 32 | 2,135 | 42.00 |
Joe Root became the highest run-scorer in India vs England Tests in January 2024, overtaking Tendulkar’s 2,535. His 2025 series total of 537 runs pushed his overall tally well past 3,000, the first batter to reach that milestone in this rivalry.
Most Wickets (Tests – India vs England)
| Player | Country | Matches | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | England | 36 | 134 | 27.40 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 25 | 95 | 26.23 |
| Stuart Broad | England | 24 | 74 | 31.20 |
| Harbhajan Singh | India | 22 | 63 | 31.52 |
| Ian Botham | England | 20 | 59 | 32.48 |
Series Records: Most Runs in a Single Series
| Player | Runs | Series | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | 754 | 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy | England |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 712 | 2024 | India |
| Graham Gooch | 752 | 1990 | England |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 542 | 1971 | England |
Highest Team Totals (Tests)
| Score | Team | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 849/9d | England | Lord’s | 1990 |
| 669/10 | England | Old Trafford | 2025 |
| 664/4d | England | The Oval | 1959 |
| 587/10 | India | Edgbaston | 2025 |
| 633/5d | India | Lord’s | 2011 |
Best Bowling in a Series (2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy)
| Player | Country | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | India | 23 | 32.43 |
| Josh Tongue | England | 19 | 29.05 |
| Ben Stokes | England | 17 | 25.23 |
| Akash Deep | India | 16 | 30.10 |
Biggest Victories
| Margin | Winner | Format | Year | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innings & 285 runs | England | Test | 1974 | Edgbaston |
| 336 runs | India | Test | 2025 | Edgbaston |
| 10 wickets | England | T20I | 2022 | Adelaide |
| 202 runs | India | ODI | 2022 | Lord’s |
Series Results (Tests – Full History)
| Year | Host | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | England | England won 1-0 (1 match) |
| 1933-34 | India | England won 2-0 |
| 1936 | England | England won 2-0 |
| 1946 | England | England won 1-0 |
| 1951-52 | India | Drawn 1-1 |
| 1952 | England | England won 3-0 |
| 1959 | England | England won 5-0 |
| 1961-62 | India | Drawn 0-0 |
| 1963-64 | India | Drawn 0-0 |
| 1967 | England | England won 3-0 |
| 1971 | England | India won 1-0 |
| 1972-73 | India | India won 2-1 |
| 1974 | England | England won 3-0 |
| 1976-77 | India | England won 3-1 |
| 1979 | England | England won 1-0 |
| 1979-80 | India | Drawn 1-1 |
| 1981-82 | India | India won 1-0 |
| 1982 | England | England won 1-0 |
| 1984-85 | India | England won 2-1 |
| 1986 | England | India won 2-0 |
| 1990 | England | England won 1-0 |
| 1992-93 | India | India won 3-0 |
| 1996 | England | India won 1-0 |
| 2001-02 | India | India won 1-0 |
| 2002 | England | England won 1-0 |
| 2006 | England | Drawn 1-1 |
| 2007-08 | India | India won 1-0 |
| 2011 | India | England won 4-0 |
| 2012-13 | India | India won 2-1 |
| 2014 | England | England won 3-1 |
| 2016-17 | India | India won 4-0 |
| 2018 | England | England won 4-1 |
| 2021-22 | England | Drawn 2-2 (5th Test played in 2022) |
| 2024 | India | India won 4-1 |
| 2025 | England | Drawn 2-2 (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy) |
Frequently Asked Questions
When did India first play England in cricket?
India played their first Test against England on June 25, 1932, at Lord’s. England won by 158 runs. It was a single-match series, part of India’s debut summer in Test cricket.
Who has won more Tests between India and England?
England lead the Test head-to-head with 53 wins to India’s 37 across 141 Tests. 51 matches have ended in draws. England’s early dominance and home advantage account for most of that margin.
What is the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy?
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy replaced the Pataudi Trophy in 2025 as the prize for every Test series between England and India. It’s named after England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson (704 wickets) and India’s all-time Test leading run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs). The inaugural series in England in 2025 ended 2-2.
What is India’s biggest win against England in Tests?
India won by 336 runs in the 2nd Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston. Shubman Gill’s 269 and Akash Deep’s 10-wicket match haul drove that result.
Which player has scored the most runs in India vs England Tests?
Joe Root holds the record with over 3,000 runs in India vs England Tests, including 12 centuries, the most by any batter. He overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s 2,535 in January 2024 and extended his lead further with 537 runs in the 2025 series.
Which bowler has taken the most wickets in India vs England Tests?
James Anderson leads all bowlers with 134 wickets across 36 Tests. Among Indian bowlers, Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker with 95 wickets across 25 Tests.
Has India ever won a Test series in England?
Yes, 3 times: in 1971 (1-0 under Ajit Wadekar), in 1986 (2-0 under Kapil Dev), and in 1996 (1-0). The last series win in England was the 2007 3-Test series. The 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended 2-2, so neither side won the trophy outright.
Who was the highest run-scorer in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy?
Shubman Gill scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40 to top the run charts. That included his career-best 269 at Edgbaston. Joe Root was the top scorer for England with 537 runs.
Conclusion
The India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team timeline is a 90-year story of shifting power, generational talent, and Test cricket at its most competitive. It started with India losing their debut match by 158 runs in 1932. It now runs through a 5-Test series in 2025 decided by 6 runs at The Oval.
England lead in Tests overall. India lead in ODIs and T20Is. And across all formats combined, India have now pulled ahead for the first time. The India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team rivalry renamed itself in 2025, from the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but the essence didn’t change: 2 cricketing nations who bring out the best in each other, consistently, across 9 decades of the sport. The next series, wherever it’s played, already has context.
