Since 1948–1949, West Indies and India have faced off in 24 Test series, with the Windies winning 12 times and India 9 times. In 1971, the Ajit Wadekar-led squad defeated Gary Sobers’ group in the second Test to claim India’s first Test series victory in the West Indies, 1-0.
Additionally, it was India’s first Test victory in the region. The subsequent games in the five-test series all ended in draws, giving India a historic victory.Even though India is currently behind West Indies when it comes to head-to-head series records, the longest format, they haven’t lost a Test series to them since 2002. Let’s take a look at the top three Test matches between the two nations.
1) 3rd Test, Wankhede Stadium (2011/12)
One of the closest Test matches of the 21st century saw all four results possible on the final ball of the fifth day of the Test match. West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first and the batters ensured that got a great score on the board. They scored 590 in their first innings courtesy of a brilliant innings from Darren Bravo who scored a magnificent 166. India fell short and gave away a 108 lead despite a hundred from Ravichandran Ashwin along with brilliant knocks from Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
India made a strong comeback into the Test match as they bowled out the visitors for a mere 134 runs courtesy of a 6-fer from Pragyan Ojha. India were set a target of 243 and came close to chasing it but were losing wickets at regular intervals also. The match ended with India needing 1 run and West Indies were 1 wicket away from winning.
2) 2nd Test, Wankhede Stadium (2013)
Even though it wasn’t one of the closest games between the sides, it was one still in the memories of fans all around the world. It was the final match for Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian jersey. West Indies won the toss and chose to bat first but could only muster a mere 182 runs in the first innings.
Indian batters were feasting on the West Indies bowling as youngsters Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma amassed hundreds as well as Sachin Tendulkar made a well crafted 74. India got a massive lead of 313 runs and then dismissed the West Indies for a paltry score of 187 to win the game convincingly. Everyone was emotional on the day the test match ended and it was the last time the little master played for Team India.
3) 2nd Test, Kingston (2019)
India showed their dominance in their first ever Test series in the World Test Championship and this game is formerly remembered for the heroics of Jasprit Bumrah and Hanuma Vihari. India opted to bat first and made the best use of the coin toss as they scored a valuable 416 runs with a crucial century from Vihari.
Jasprit Bumrah showed his lethal side as he took a hat-trick and took 6 wickets in the innings to gain India a healthy lead of 299 runs. Indians then batted for a while and then declared to set the hosts with a mighty total to chase. But the Indian bowlers showed their class as they dismissed the West Indies batters for just 210 to win the game and the series.