Your all time favourite test series

[Number]

1. BGT 2020-21 : The MOST EPIC series, it was like an army heavily outnumbered deep inside enemy's territory coming out victorious.

 

2. BGT 2001 & 2003-04 - The mighty Aussies looking to breach the fortress of India meet with the great wall and warriors. In return India put up a dominating performance in Australia. Complete surprise.

 

3. India Pakistan 1999 - Chennai heartbreak then Kumble 10fer. A very competitive series.

 

4. India in England 2021-22 : After a decade of humiliations in England we compete, dominate and take lead.

 

5. BGT 2016-17 - The best home series in a long while, India losing badly then coming back sharply, some great onfield drama like Smith brainfade, great spells from Cummins, Hazlewood and Ashwin almost singlehandedly defending the small target in Bangalore.

 

6. Ashes 2005 - I remember this for heavily contested tests and some great spells, overs and deliveries like Flintoff vs Ponting, Simon Jones and Harmison vs Clarke, Warne's spells. Some nail biting finishes. 

 

7. Australia in SA 2018 - Sandpaper gate, De Cock Warner fight, Lyon throwing ball on Markram, ABDV taking the Aussie thuggish misbehaviour personally then belting them for whole series. 

 

Other than these

- India in England 2002, Pakistan in India in 2005, SA vs Aus in 2013 (47 all out game).

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2025 by Number

[jf1gp_1]

21 australia series which closed with pants 4 down the ground

[Gollum]

Good list by by OP. 

 

From India's perspective I would like to add one of the series we had vs RSA in the 2007-11 period, 3 hard fought drawn series. My pick would be our 2010-11 tour there, series ended 1-1, really had the feel of world's two best teams going at it. Wish it were a 4 or 5 test series. 

 

RSA had many epic series in their 2006-15 run, especially against us, Poms and Aussies. Their series wins in 2012 in Eng and Aus (Adelaide blockathon followed by blitz in WACA) were pretty epic. 

 

Pak vs Eng 2-2 draw in 2016, Misbah's 100 and push up celebration in 1st test (Lord's), YK after clowning around for 1st 3 tests scored a 200 in Oval to draw the series. Eng had a mental block against Pak back then.

 

Aus-NZ 0-0 draw in 2001 must be mentioned, NZ almost pulled off the impossible against that monster team. Even more impressive than our 2003-04 tour there. 

 

For comedy value, NZ's win against Pak in UAE 2018. Azhar Ali took 10 overs to add 10 runs with final 2 wickets and fell 4 runs short. 

 

Poms winning in RSA in 2004-05.

 

2019 Ashes. 

 

SL's series wins in Eng and RSA, especially the one in RSA (2018) where Kusal Perera added 100 runs with the last wicket against Steyn, Rabada, Philander, Olivier, Maharaj. Had a SENA or Indian guy played that knock, it would have been called the greatest ever. 

 

WI beating Poms at home thrice back to back, last decade, was intriguing. Poms went there as heavy favorites every time, often on the back of impressive wins elsewhere, and came up short every time. 

Edited August 10, 2025 by Gollum

[ungboysj]

No takers for india pakistan series 2003 

Historic away test series win in enemy country

[Number]

10 minutes ago, ungboysj said:

No takers for india pakistan series 2003 

Historic away test series win in enemy country

Barring Sehwag's thukaai in Multan, it was neither exciting nor that much competitive to be honest. We slipped on a damp pitch in first innings of 2nd test, otherwise could have easily whitewashed them.

Edited August 10, 2025 by Number

[Lone Wolf]

BGT 2017.. such a fascinating contest.

 

SA v India 2010-11 test series + the T20 and especially ODI series (GOAT bilateral series imo) entire tour was a classic 

 

BGT 20/21.. nothing more to add 

 

2006 Pak tour as a kid.

 

Pak vs Eng 2022.. BazBall destruction proper comedy with Phaaaast bowlers becoming Trundlers.

 

Pak vs NZ 2018.. meme series.. KW throwing away the 500 $ check post series win

 

Pak v SL 2017 .. first series defeat (clean sweep 2-0) in UAE under Sarfaraz post CT win.

Decline started there and then.

 

 

[singhvivek141]

59 minutes ago, Number said:

Barring Sehwag's thukaai in Multan, it was neither exciting nor that much competitive to be honest. We slipped on a damp pitch in first innings of 2nd test, otherwise could have easily whitewashed them.

Kya baat kar rahe ho.
The acting which Shoaib did in the last test, where he ran away from bowling faking an injury, coz he was being asked to bowl long spells.
While he came to the ground running, when asked to bat. This doesn't excite you ?

In all seriousness, that marathon 270 by dravid and exceptional spells by Irfan and balaji were fun to see.

[zen]

From the top of the mind recall: 
 

BGT in Aus 2018/19: First series win in Aus after 70 odd years. Pujara  
 

BGT in Aus 2020/21: Followed up 2018/19 with another series win. Almost everyone in the team stepped up.
 

BGT in Ind 2001: It is mainly memorable for the Kolkata test. VVS was very very special indeed!
 

Ind v Pak in Pak 2003/04: First test series win in Pak. Sehwag turned in Don Bradman (avg + high strike rate combo). 
 

Ind v Pak in Ind 1999: Chennai test and Delhi test where Kumble picked up 10-er. There was another test at Kolkata too but it was not a part of the series but the Asian Test Championship.

 

Ind v Eng in Eng 2025: A drawn series memorable by the fight shown by Team India. Gill lead from the front with the bat with 700+ runs. It was as if GT were in the whites (Gill, Sai S, Sundar, Krishna, and Siraj).

 

Ind v WI in Ind 1994: A drawn series known for Jimmy “Padams”. WI was 0-1 going into the last test where Lara came in his own. WI won that test at Mohali to draw the series 1-1.

Edited August 10, 2025 by zen

[Number]

5 hours ago, singhvivek141 said:

Kya baat kar rahe ho.
The acting which Shoaib did in the last test, where he ran away from bowling faking an injury, coz he was being asked to bowl long spells.
While he came to the ground running, when asked to bat. This doesn't excite you ?

In all seriousness, that marathon 270 by dravid and exceptional spells by Irfan and balaji were fun to see.

Are bhai,

 

All the series that we played with in 04 to 08, I think that was the most one sided one. That Indian team was coming from a historic high of 1-1 in Australia, after Sehwag smashed them on day 1, I think they were done. 

No doubt I enjoyed the whooping we gave to them in their ground but it wasn't that competitive imo.

[Gollum]

We were battle-hardened for 2004 tour to Pak because of the 2003-04 Aus tour. After playing the mighty Aussies (despite absence of McWarne), Pak was a step down in intensity. 

[Norman]

I love watching quality Test cricket without any stress (of supporting a certain team) so in that regards, I absolutely loved the 2019 and 2023 Ashes series in England. Both were blockbuster series between two fairly even sides..

 

Involving India - Nothing can top the 2021 BGT win. 

[deathmonger]

On 8/10/2025 at 8:28 PM, Gollum said:

We were battle-hardened for 2004 tour to Pak because of the 2003-04 Aus tour. After playing the mighty Aussies (despite absence of McWarne), Pak was a step down in intensity. 

I started watching cricket from the 03 Pak WC game.

 

Was great to go there and win both series 1 year later.

 

Also 5th ODI was on my birthday. 1 year and 1 day after 03 WC final. After 4 closely contested matches, 5th match was a quite one-sided win.

[Mariyam]

The Test series by Legal Edge for CLAT are of a really high standard.

 

Almost replicate the actual CLAT experience.

[pkmmamks]

Ashes 2005

[vvvslaxman]

This series is a transition series. So i always cherish it. Never seen an Indian team that fought a 5 test series like this trading punches throughout. It is not about the runs or wickets. It is about the will and temperament. For that alone this series stands on its own.

[IndianRenegade]

2021 BGT, it is probably what comes to my mind if I think of test match.

[AKane]

For me an oldie the most satisfying was 1980/81 India vs Aus. Lillee, Hogg, Pascoe, Greg Chappell, Border, Walters, Marsh.

 

1st test - Aus won by innings and 4 runs

2nd test - Drawn, Sandeep Patil 174, narrow draw for India 135/8 in I2.

3rd test - India win by 53 runs. Aus all out for 83 in I2

[diga]

3 hours ago, AKane said:

For me an oldie the most satisfying was 1980/81 India vs Aus. Lillee, Hogg, Pascoe, Greg Chappell, Border, Walters, Marsh.

 

1st test - Aus won by innings and 4 runs

2nd test - Drawn, Sandeep Patil 174, narrow draw for India 135/8 in I2.

3rd test - India win by 53 runs. Aus all out for 83 in I2

that was the Kapil & Vishy show

[vvvslaxman]

All said and done this was one of the weirdest series for INdia. They were so far ahead in many instances. Then they lost the plot. First test two collapses. They were so behind in many instances. Now we don't take Gill's second test knock seriously. But just remember we were 211/5 at one point just Jadeja and Sundar to come. From that point we went on to make 587 runs. I don't think our old guard no.4 could have pulled that off even on that track. He didn't end there. He went on to make another meaningful century in the 2nd dig scoring rapidly. Most of his contributions were absolutely meaningful. Atleast 3 of them.

Edited August 14, 2025 by vvvslaxman

[Chaos]

Nothing beats the impossible. Vvs laxmans telugu poetry stunned the GOAT aussie team of all time in 2001. No i dont mean this duplicate @vvvslaxman

Edited August 14, 2025 by Chaos