With 1999 Tests played, there have been any numbers of classic Test matches over the ages. While it is not possible to have watched all of the matches, the beautiful thing about Test cricket is that every age has had its own share of memorable matches. This is a list of the best Test matches, I have had the privilege of watching.
Australia vs West Indies, Adelaide, 1992-93: West Indies won by one run
A Test that tantalized and titillated the audience till the last ball when Craig McDermott couldn't get out of the way of a sharp lifting delivery from Courtney Walsh, handing victory to the West Indies by the smallest margin anyone has achieved in 116 years of Test cricket. When West Indies set Australia a target of 186, it looked like the hosts would canter home. But Curtly Ambrose had other ideas, taking 6 wickets and reducing them to 102/8. A stubborn ninth wicket stand between the debutant Langer and Tim May brought them closer, before Langer fell. Craig McDermott strode out and hung in - the tension was unbearable as victory loomed on the horizon. When 3 were needed, May nudged one to fine leg and didn't take the 2nd fearing Ambrose's arm from the deep. Soon Walsh struck to send the crowd - who had been singing Waltzing Matilda as Australia inched towards their goal - into a state of shock. The series had been squared and West Indies went on to win it with a thumping innings win in the next Test at Perth.
West Indies vs Australia, Barbados, 1999: West Indies won by one wicket
It was Brian Lara against Australia the whole way during this series. A one man show from Lara who single-handedly took on the Aussies and defeated them with a bit of help from the tail. Earlier in the game, a stubborn ton from Sherwin Campbell ensured that West Indies avoided the follow-on when they were 98/6 in the first innings. Australia took a lead of 161, but were bundled out for 146 thanks to a 5-fer from Courtney Walsh, setting West Indies a target of 308. When the hosts were 105/5 it seemed all over, but Lara added 133 with Adams before Adams was dismissed. It soon became 248/8, but Ambrose gave Lara good support and they added 54 for the ninth wicket. With a handful of runs needed, Walsh came out and survived one full over from McGrath to loud cheers from the Barbados crowd. His trademark bat twirl after every safely negotiated delivery sent the faithful into a tizzy. Finally, Lara crunched a cover drive off Gillespie to seal an astonishing match that united the whole Caribbean like never before.
India vs Pakistan, Chennai, 1999: Pakistan won by 12 runs
This was the first India-Pakistan Test in nine years, and was played amid massive security. The match didn't disappoint fans either, oscillating from one side to the other, before Pakistan held their nerve to win by 12 runs. Shahid Afridi slammed an aggressive 141, while Venkatesh Prasad took 6/33 in the second innings. India were set a target of 271 and were quickly reduced to 82/5 when Nayan Mongia joined Sachin Tendulkar. The two put on 136 before Mongia played a rash stroke to allow Pakistan back in. When 17 were required, Sachin - battling severe back spasms - tried to loft Saqlain inside out and holed out. The Indian tail-enders couldn't handle the excruciating tension and the wiles of the Pakistani attack, and they capitulated. The Chennai crowd had been left disappointed, but in a splendid gesture, they gave a standing ovation to the Pakistani side who ran a lap of honour when the applause started. That prompted a moved Pakistani team to call the Chennai crowd the most sporting one they had played before.
India vs Pakistan, Delhi, 1999: India won by 213 runs
There was a lot riding on this match. India had to win to level the series and then there was the question of pride. India had the upper hand for the first three days and set Pakistan 420 to win in the fourth innings, which was a tall order. However, the visitors did start well, racing to 101-0 before the Anil Kumble show began. He removed Afridi to a contentious decision, and that opened the flood-gates. Kumble then ran through the Pakistani line-up taking nine wickets. When last man Waqar Younis came out, skipper Azharuddin ordered Srinath to bowl way outside off so that Kumble could take all 10. It was so nearly not to be when a miscued pull was almost caught by Ramesh, before he was shouted away by his team-mates. Finally Kumble snared Akram and became only the second man in history to take ten wickets in an innings, following English off-spinner Jim Laker in 1956. The series had been squared and Kumble had an achievement for the ages.
India vs Australia, Kolkata, 2001: India won by 171 runs
Perhaps the greatest Test of them all. India were down and out for all the money when two men - VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid - engineered the greatest comeback by putting on 376 runs (an Indian record) for the 5th wicket. Earlier, India were 4/232 while following on, when Dravid joined the promoted Laxman. What followed was breathtaking batting with the duo batting for a whole day without being separated. VVS had made 281 sublime runs - the best ever by an Indian in Tests. Australia had to bat for a little over 2 sessions to secure a draw, with the victory target being an improbable 384, but they succumbed to the spinners. Sachin took three important wickets and the final nail was fittingly drilled in by Harbhajan who had taken 13 wickets, including a hat-trick in the game. It was only the third instance of a team winning a game after being asked to follow-on and fittingly, this Test marked the heralding of a new Indian team that would challenge the best and win. The Aussies' unbeaten streak of 16 test wins had ground to a halt and India went on to claim the series with another heart-stopping win at Chennai in the next game.
England vs India, Leeds, 2002: India won by an innings and 46 runs
The conditions were totally alien to India. It was dull, grey, dark and perfectly suited for bowling first. Yet Sourav Ganguly opted to bat after winning the toss, which prompted experts to predict disaster for India. However, in one of the finest batting shows under seaming conditions, the Indian trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly hit tons as the team piled up 628. Special credit should go to Dravid and Bangar (who opened the innings) and weathered the initial storm. The ball was bouncing, swinging, seaming and doing all kinds of things - yet both held firm. Once India had made such a huge score, the spinners tightened the noose and England were forced to follow on. England couldn't do much the second time around too as Kumble's 4 wickets ensured an innings win. The win broke all precedent for India, who went into the match with 2 spinners and still got the job done. The move to bat first was a daring one, and it also helped India shed the conservative image they had built over the years.
Australia vs India, Adelaide, 2003: India won by 4 wickets
It was Rahul Dravid's Test match. He showed tremendous resilience allied with skill to take India home in what was a landmark victory - their first in Australia for nearly 23 years. Australia had made 556 in the first innings and still lost. Only once had a team scored more runs in the first innings of a Test and lost. The hosts had India on the mat at 85/4 before VVS joined Dravid in the first innings. They put on 303 and Dravid's 233 ensured Australia only had a lead of 33. Then on the fourth day, India found an unlikely bowling hero in Ajit Agarkar who took 6/41 to skittle Australia out for 196, giving India a chance to chase down 230. The final day's action was a test of nerves as Dravid strung together vital stands with Sehwag, Sachin and VVS. When Dravid cut MacGill to the point boundary he kissed the badge on his India cap and later Sourav Ganguly said that Dravid 'batted like god.' Dravid, who was on the field for most part of the five days, batted 835 minutes and scored 305 runs. Wisden called it 'a monumental effort, the finest performance by an Indian batsman in an overseas Test, because he made the difference.'
England vs Australia, Birmingham, 2005: England won by 2 runs
A modern day classic that ended fittingly, allowing England to level the Ashes. Surprisingly, Ponting bowled first and was punished with England racing away to 407 inside 80 overs - not the full 90 - the most conceded by Australia on the first day of any Test since 1938. England claimed a first innings lead of 99, but Shane Warne spun his web to take 6 second inning wickets to bundle them out for 182. Australia, chasing 282, lost Michael Clarke to the last ball of day 4, leaving them 107 away with just 2 wickets left. On the final day, Shane Warne joined Lee and clattered a quick 42 before treading on his wicket. When Kasprowicz joined Lee, 62 were still required. Both tail-enders then began to inch closer. Lee took blows all over his body, withstanding a fearful barrage from Flintoff and Harmison.
The tension mounted when Simon Jones dropped Kasprowicz with 15 runs required and it seemed England would regret the error. Australia could still have won with 4 required, but Lee hit the ball straight to the sweeper cover for a single, when a stroke placed on either side of that man would have closed out the game. Then Harmison produced a short, sharp lifter that caught the glove of Kasprowicz, allowing the raucous crowd to find their voice. Wisden called it the greatest Test ever and when the Old Trafford Test began four days later, The Greatest Test DVD was on sale. The Ashes series had been brought to life and an Indian fan later thanked Kasprowicz for saving Test cricket - proof of just how much the match had changed the course of a summer.
Australia vs India, Perth, 2008: India won by 72 runs
The pre-match atmosphere was among the most tense for any Test. India had just come off Sydney-gate, a series had to be saved and there was a lot of acrimony between the two sides. The Aussies were gung-ho and predicted a serious thrashing, with the returning Shaun Tait expected to blow away the Indians. Instead India showed their mettle by out-witting the Aussies and ending their 16 match winning streak for the second time in the decade. It was Australia's first Test defeat at the WACA since 1996-97, and their first on home soil since India won in Adelaide in 2003. A solid knock from Dravid helped India post 330, and the Indian bowlers bowled Australia out for 212, gaining a lead of 118. India set them a target of 413 and Australia were on course with Ponting batting beautifully. However, that changed in one spell from the 20 year old Ishant Sharma, when he snared Ponting. Eventually, India won by 72 runs and skipper Anil Kumble described it as one of the best wins that he had been a part of.
India vs Australia, Mohali, 2010: India won by one wicket
Australia ran into their nemesis VVS Laxman once again and duly lost. It was a thrilling Test match that seemed to change course with every session. Shane Watson's 126 had powered Australia to 428, before Tendulkar replied with 98 as India ended with 405. Zaheer and Ishant shared 6 wickets to bowl Australia out for 192, leaving India 216 to win. They were soon in trouble at 119/6 when Tendulkar fell. It got worse, and with eight wickets down, Ishant joined Laxman - who was battling severe back spasms and needed a runner. 92 were required, but Ishant showed tremendous character to build a stand of 81 before he was wrongly given out LBW. Australia could've won the game when Ojha was short of his crease, but Steven Smith failed to hit the stumps directly. The resultant 4 overthrows proved crucial, before a couple of leg-byes sealed a nerve-wracking win. Laxman had thwarted Australia once again and his masterly 73 not-out included a rare display of emotion when he yelled at Ojha for not responding to the call of a quick single. It also left Ponting without a victory as Test captain on Indian soil, a record that was to stay when India won the series by winning in Bangalore in the next game.
