When it comes to the talk about the most noteworthy Test sides of all time, consistency over a period of time is the conclusive marker to compare.
Ask any cricketer worth his salt and they will tell you Test cricket is the most prominent test there's in cricket. It is, for a reason, the format that the players (past and present) love the foremost. It is seemingly the hardest format to ace for groups when it comes to being reliable over five days or a full series. It is, subsequently, an awesome accomplishment for any side to stay unbeaten over a year or more.
History (and analysts) includes an inclination of recollecting overwhelming Test teams the foremost: Clive Lloyd’s West Indies. Sir Wear Bradman’s Australia. Steve Waugh’s Australia. Ricky Ponting’s Australia. Sourav Ganguly’s India. And presently Virat Kohli’s India.
In this report, we will tell you about the greatest unbeaten streaks in the longest format of the game.
1. West Indies (1982-’84) - 27 matches
The group was captained by the amazing Clive Lloyd in 26 of those matches, with Sir Vivian Richards leading the side for a singular match. Wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon, openers Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge, and Richards played in each of those 27 Tests. Greenidge scored more than 2,000 runs in that period alone (2,087 at 59.62 normal, 6 centuries). Larry Gomes hit seven centuries in that unbeaten streak whereas Richards and Lloyd were consistent as ever.
2. England (1968-’71) - 26 matches
England had three diverse captains amid this stage: Colin Cowdrey (6 Tests), Tom Graveney (1 Test), and Beam Illingworth (19 Tests). John Edrich, considered one of the most prominent batsmen of his era, played all 26 Tests in that period taken after by Alan Knott and the uncommon Basil D’Oliveira.
The batting charts were topped by Edrich (2055 runs), D’Oliveira (1427 runs) and, of course, Geoffrey Boycott not distant behind (1426 runs). Among bowlers, Derek Underwood was, the leading wicket-taker in that period with 91 wickets in 20 matches with 8 five-wicket hauls.
The 26-match unbeaten run was finished broadly by India in 1971, led by Ajit Wadekar. By winning the third match of the series, India won the three-match series 1-0 and made history.
3. Australia (1946-’51) - 25 matches
The group that's frequently alluded to as Sir Don Bradman’s Invincibles is one of the foremost impressive the game has ever seen. From 1930 to November 1952 (amid which cricket was influenced for eight years by World War II), Australia won 46 out of 70 Tests and was misplaced as it were 12. The post-war period started with Australia not losing a single match till February 1951.
This specific run was kickstarted by Charge Brown’s captaincy in the memorable inaugural Test against neighbors New Zealand and from there, Sir Don Bradman took over, leading in 15 matches till his retirement in 1948. Lindsay Hassett took over the captaincy from 1949 for nine matches. The amazing all-rounder Keith Mill operator was the only one to highlight in all 25 matches.
4. Australia (2005-’08) - 22 matches
In terms of just rattling off wins after wins, no Test side can come near to the record of Australia from the conclusion of the 1990s to late 2007. From October 1999 to November 2007, Australia won an unimaginable 72 Tests out of the 93 they played, with only 11 draws. Whereas Steve Waugh’s side won 16 matches straight before tasting vanquish in India, it is Ricky Ponting’s side that came closest to coordinating the Invincibles in terms of their dominance.
And in this 22-match unbeaten streak, Ponting (captain in all matches) led Australia to a dazzling add up to 20 wins. The center of that unimaginable win-machine was shaped by Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, and Brett Lee, who highlighted in all 22 matches.
5. India (2015-’17) - 19 matches
In this unbeaten streak, Kohli was the captain in all 19 matches. The only other player to include in all matches was R Ashwin as Kohli chopped and changed his playing XIs. Kohli driven the way in this period with the bat with 1784 runs in 30 innings taken after by Cheteshwar Pujara and his appointee Ajinkya Rahane. With 120 wickets in 36 innings, Ashwin was the strike bowler for India amid that unbeaten run. Ravindra Jadeja was a second with 72 wickets.
India’s unbeaten run was stopped by one and only Steve Smith, who scored one of the greatest centuries of his career in the second inning of Pune test on a rank turner. But for that one defeat in Pune, Kohli’s side might have actually been the holders of the world record now. From August 2015 till December 2017 in 29 matches, India lost just once.
So, who was the greatest?
The Chart underneath grant the breakdown for the win % of the five sides who went unbeaten longest. As specified over, England’s accomplishments, in spite of the fact that honorable, pale in comparison to the other groups when it comes to win % and succeeding absent from home.
So, who do you think was the greatest among these sides?
