Ranking India's Top 3 most hard-fought draws in Tests

Overview

• India pulled off a great draw during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in Manchester
• Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja were instrumental in India's draw
• India had pulled off similar great draws in the past in the longest format of the game

Test cricket is truly a test of patience, skill, and character, bringing out the best in players. There are many instances in which players have shown resilience by fighting through tough times to help their team. Many claim Test to be the pure form of the game and the toughest to play, as there is no room to rest or ease in one's approach.

While winning a match can indeed be joyous, pulling off a draw after hanging in for hours and days together can satisfy individuals and lift the morale of the teams. The Indian team has pulled off many such draws, especially in the recent past, which displayed their character. More often than not, it positively helped them in achieving good results in the series eventually.

Also Read: 5 instances of valor when cricketers played despite injuries ft. Rishabh Pant

Ranking India's Top 3 hardest-fought draws in Tests

New Zealand vs India, 2nd Test, Napier 2009

Batting first, New Zealand posted 619/9 before declaring their innings. The home side was reduced to 23/3 before they picked up and managed to score the total, thanks to Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum's tons. James Franklin and Daniel Vettori's fifties, and Jesse Ryder's double ton. In reply to it, India was dismissed for 305 and was asked to follow on.

In the second innings, India batted a whopping 180 overs, nearly for 2 days, and saved the match. Gautam Gambhir played 436 balls to score 137, while VVS Laxman scored a ton, and the trio of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Yuvraj Singh scored fifties too. India won the third Test of the series and claimed their second Test series in New Zealand.

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England vs India, 4th Test, Manchester 2025

India batted first and scored 358 on the board in challenging conditions to bat on. In reply to it, England batted long and deep till they scored a whopping 669. Ben Stokes and Joe Root scored a ton for the home side. India was trailing by 311 runs and got reduced to 0/2 in the very first over of the match. An innings defeat and a series loss seemed very much on the cards.

That was when Shubman Gill and KL Rahul framed a partnership of 188 runs and batted nearly 70 overs together. Following their dismissals, India's fightback continued, as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar framed a partnership of 203 runs for the fifth wicket, which forced Ben Stokes to accept a draw for the first time in his captaincy.

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Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Sydney 2021

The match was hard for the Indian players, as there were racist slurs thrown at players, and several injuries meant many individuals were not at their physical and mental best for the challenge. While Australia scored 338 in their first innings, India was undone for 244. In reply to it, the home side managed 312/6 before declaring their innings, handing India a target of 407.

With Jadeja already injured, India virtually batted with 10 players. At one point, India was reduced to 102/3 when Rishabh Pant played a fantastic knock of 97(118) and even gave India a hope of a win for India. However, India was reduced to 272/5 from 250/3 when Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin batted for over a session by copping multiple blows on their bodies. Eventually, India went on to win the series by beating Australia at the Gabba.