5 top Test knocks by England batters in India

The India vs England test series is not far away and the spectators will be excited to see their favourite players perform on the big stage. This is a series that will test both the teams and their tactics. It will be Rohit Sharma and his talented boys who are known to play some incredible innings and Ben Stokes and his Barmy army who only look to put the bowlers on the backfoot. We all are looking forward to this contest featuring some of the greatest players to ever grace the game and start looking to dominate every team they are up against. All eyes will be on this 5-match series which expects a lot of hype.

England will also want some redemption from The Indians since the last time they won a Test series against India was back in 2012-13. This was the day when the India team was dominated by a top-class English team, who were one of the few teams to defeat India in India. After this England is still looking for that glory at the subcontinent which they have never been able to achieve in the last 11-12 years ago. This will be the time both sides will be hungry for a Test series win.

There is also the factor of how English batters have struggled to play the world-class Indian spinners as well, who have made life miserable for the English batters. However, there were still some fine innings played by some Englishmen played in this country. These performances are remembered by everyone who has witnessed these two sides play against each other in the past. There is no doubt that these were great innings since these were tough conditions not for only the English, but also for any batter with the grip and turn the spinners get on these tracks.

Without further ado here are the 5 best innings by an English batter in India:

5. Alastair Cook 122 in Mumbai

The  2012 series was one of the best series England ever had in the subcontinent and it was a high-scoring thriller. After getting the hosts out for 327 it was the English skipper Alastair Cook who set the platform for England. His 122 of 270 deliveries included 13 fours and a six and was a highlight of the flawless technique he possessed and even stepped up against the India spinners who were creating a lot of problems for the batters. This was an innings that helped England set the tone of the series.

4. Joe Root 218 in Chennai

This might be from the last series where England could not take the series, but this was one of the greatest innings by Root. This innings was enough to put the visitors in the lead against an incredible Indian team. Joe Root scored a magnificent 218 of 377 balls that included 19 fours and 2 sixes in Chennai to put up a big total of 578 in the first innings to put the Indians under pressure. In the end, it was a great victory for England. The reason that this knock is slightly lower since it did not have as much impact in an India-England series where the visitors lost. However, this is still an innings to remember for any English cricket fan.

3. Mike Gatting 207 in Chennai

Mike Gatting was the finest player of spin in the English team in the 80’s especially in Test cricket and he showed that on one of the toughest wickets in Chennai known to give enough grip to the spinners to outdo the batters. Gatting scored a brilliant double century where he formed partnerships and kept counterattacking the spinners with some great sweep shots. His 207 from 309 balls consisted of 20 fours and 3 sixes, giving his team a great platform where the team managed to get to a total of over 650 runs and take control of the game.

2. Alastair Cook 190 in Kolkata

The 122 in Kolkata was not enough for Cook as he once again showed his stylish technique at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata once again. Cook might have missed out on a deserved double-century, but it was still enough to take control of the game. Cook scored an amazing 190 runs from 377 deliveries that included 23 fours and 2 sixes. This was the innings that got his team to a huge total of over 500 runs putting the hosts in a difficult position. He was also playing the dangerous India spin attack so well that it was looking really easy. This was also the game which guaranteed England a series win in 2013 which was one of their best wins in the subcontinent.

1. Kevin Pietersen 186 in Mumbai

If it was Cook who set the platform for the English batters in the Test at Mumbai it was Kevin Pietersen who took that same platform to the next level. KP was still playing his attacking brand of cricket in the middle upsetting the bowler's line and lengths. None of the India spinners had an answer to his flamboyant innings where he scored 186 of 233 deliveries that included 20 boundaries and 4 huge sixes. There is no doubt this was the best innings by an English batter who kept the innings going after losing Cook as well. This was also the innings that set England up for a win at the Wankhede and coming back into the series.