Feature

India's Kolkata heist vs India's Chennai triumph vs England's Edgbaston conquest

Three thrilling Tests, three wild finishes - have your pick

ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Jun-2025 • 6 hrs ago
In the lead-up to the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on June 11, ESPNcricinfo, Star Sports and JioHotstar are inviting you to help us pick the greatest Test of the 21st century. We started off with 32 contenders, and are down to nine. Three Tests will now be pitted against each other, as we head towards the finale. Get voting now.
A Test hat-trick against the world's top side at the age of 20. A follow-on. A historic partnership to turn the tables. A record individual score by an Indian. And a thrilling end in front of packed stands to level the series and end Australia's streak of 16 wins. All that in one Test!
After Harbhajan Singh hurt Australia with a hat-trick on the first day, Steve Waugh scored his maiden Test century on Indian soil to lead his team to a strong 445. In reply, India were bundled for 171 and asked to follow-on.
They were then 232 for 4 - still 42 behind - when VVS Laxman was joined by Rahul Dravid and the two of them played out the entire fourth day with strips of iced towels around their necks to beat the heat and humidity; they still needed attention from the physio from time to time.
The two ended up seeing off nine bowlers in a partnership that was instantly stamped in the game's history. Laxman's 281 lasted ten-and-a-half hours, and Dravid's 180 nearly seven-and-a-half. They set Australia a target of 384. Australia succumbed on the last day against India's spinners as Harbhajan finished with a tally of 13 for 196.
It was fitting that the series that had kept everyone on the edge of their seats ended in a thrilling last-day finish.
After Matthew Hayden's 203 had taken Australia to 391, India responded by racking up 501. Like he had in the first innings, Harbhajan Singh ripped through the Australia middle order in the second innings, as they ended the fourth day on 241 for 7, a lead of 131.
On the fifth morning, Harbhajan wasted little time in picking up the last three Australia wickets, bundling them for 264. He returned second-innings figures of 8 for 84 and match figures of 15 for 127, finishing with 32 wickets for the series.
But he wasn't done.
Chasing 155, India lost Shiv Sunder Das early, but Sadagoppan Ramesh and VVS Laxman added 58 to give India the advantage. But a middle-order collapse followed, and it was game on. But wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe, on Test debut, held his cool as he took India closer. India lost Zaheer Khan just four runs shy of a win, but Harbhajan sliced a Glenn McGrath delivery past point to give India a famous Test and series win.
The drama began before the toss. Glenn McGrath hurt his ankle on the first morning of the match, and the man who replaced him nearly did it for Australia... with the bat. On the fourth day, Australia were 137 for 7 in their pursuit of 282. Michael Clarke was their only hope, and it took an ahead-of-the-time slower ball from Steve Harmison to dismiss him and make it 175 for 8. With Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz, who took McGrath's place in the side, remaining, England were favourites.
But minute by minute, Warne's runs hurt England after bagging ten wickets with the ball. His stoic stand with Lee, who also looked unmoved, was fanning belief. But then, with Australia 62 runs away and the pair having added 45, a little flicker of a sound broke the silence of the stadium. Everyone searched for it. Warne found it. He had trod back onto his stumps. He was hit-wicket.
Most of us would have forgotten by then that it was the Australia of their pomp. On their day, even a No. 11 could raise the ceiling with the bat and Kasprowicz did exactly that. Michael Vaughan looked frustrated with every run Lee and Kasprowicz scored. Until, with three to get, Harmison's short ball saw Kasprowicz fending, and nudging behind to a diving Geraint Jones. Billy Bowden's crooked finger was up, Edgbaston erupted, and Andrew Flintoff consoling Lee became an iconic image.