Record runs and streaks Team India has broken in international cricket

It is not an easy task for any touring team to face the home team who were on a 17-match winning streak in their backyard but it didn’t matter for India as Virat Kohli along with Ajinkya Rahane and their wrist spinners led India to a famous win in Durban. India not only ended the streak of South Africa’s 17-consecutive ODI wins at home but also brought an end to their jinx of not defeating the home team in an ODI in Durban finally in their eight outing.

This wasn’t the first time where India ended a winning or undefeated streak of a team. Compared to what they have done in the past, the current streak of South Africa which they ended could well be overlooked. In this very century, India brought an end to the record Test win streaks, record Test series streak, record unbeaten ODI streak at home and now the record ODI winning streak at home. Here are the biggest streaks that were ended by the Indian team previously.

2001 – Australia’s 16 consecutive Test wins:

Australia toured India for a 3-match Test series in 2001 on the back of a record 15 consecutive Test victories. In the first Test match at the Wankhede, the Aussies registered a 10-wicket win to extend their streak to 16 Tests. India returned strongly in the famous Kolkata Test where VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid inspired India to a win after they were forced to follow-on. India ended the streak of the visitors and also won the series by defeating them again in the 3rd Test in Chennai.

2005 – South Africa’s 20-match unbeaten ODI streak:

South Africa toured India in 2005 for a 5-match ODI series without a defeat in their previous 19 ODI matches (Includes a Tied game and two no result matches). South Africa won the first ODI in Hyderabad to extend their unbeaten streak to 20 matches the longest for any team behind Australia’s 21-match streak in 2003. However, Indian bowlers broke the back of South African batting in Bangalore as India levelled the series and broke South Africa’s unbeaten streak.

2008 – Australia’s 16 consecutive Test wins:

India toured Australia in 2007/08 for a 4-match Test series where they were going to face the home side who won in their 14 previous Test matches. India surrendered in the first Test in Melbourne while a dramatic 2nd Test in Sydney witnessed umpiring blunders helping Australia to extend their winning streak to 16 Tests. India came back strong in the 3rd Test in Perth to defeat the home team and bring an end to their 16-match winning streak yet again.

2008 – Australia’s 9 consecutive Test series wins:

India faced Australia in a 4-match Test series at home after they broke the Aussies’ 16-match streak in the same year. Coming into the series, Australia won their last nine Test series which was a world record. The first match of the series ended in a draw while the home side registered a comfortable win in the 2nd Test. The 3rd Test in Delhi ended in a pale draw but India sealed the series by a 2-0 margin in the final Test in Nagpur with yet another huge win and end the Aussies’ series winning streak.

2016 – Australia’s 19-match unbeaten ODI streak at home:

Australia were dominant in the ODI format between 2014 and 2016 where they won the World Cup for the fifth time but first at home. In this span, Australia were undefeated in their last 15 ODIs at home when India toured for a 5-match series. In the series that witnessed scores over 290+, the home side won the first four matches to extend their unbeaten ODI streak at home to 19 ODIs; the longest for any team. India, who failed to take their chances in the first four ODIs, came back strong in the final ODI in Sydney where they chased down a target of 331 thanks to an unbeaten century from Manish Pandey and the batting efforts of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.