Cliff Notes – Down but not out: India’s greatest Test escapes of the 21st century

India showcased remarkable resilience at Old Trafford, with key performances from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and KL Rahul to secure a draw despite early setbacks.
Historical escapes include the 2001-02 Test in Gqeberha, where Deep Dasgupta and Rahul Dravid’s partnership helped India fend off defeat amid challenging conditions.
In the 2020-21 Sydney Test, R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari’s patient batting under immense pressure resulted in a dramatic draw, exemplifying India’s fighting spirit in adversity.

Down but not out: India’s greatest Test escapes of the 21st century

Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and KL Rahul starred as India battled it out at Old Trafford to end the Test in a draw despite falling far behind at one stage. ESPNcricinfo looks back at other such escapes by India in Tests since the 21st century.

Gqeberha 2001-02
Blown away in 62 overs by Shaun Pollock, Nantie Hayward and Makhaya Ntini in the first innings, India began the final day at 28 for 1 in pursuit of 395. On a decent batting strip, Deep Dasgupta (63 off 281 balls) and Rahul Dravid (87 from 241) put up a stoic second-wicket stand that stretched for more than 80 overs. The duo fell in succession, but bad light spared India further trouble. The grit on display, though, was soon overshadowed by the furore around match referee Mike Denness.

Nottingham 2002
The prequel to the Manchester escape. India posted 357, England replied with 617, and then India’s top-order crumbled – they were two down within the first two overs. India needed their middle order to deliver, and it did. Dravid (115), Sachin Tendulkar (92), and Sourav Ganguly (99) batted India to safety. But it still took a an unbeaten 19 in 84 minutes from 17-year-old Parthiv Patel to seal the draw.

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Kolkata 2002
On the fourth morning, West Indies’ 139-run first-innings lead seemed modest on a good pitch – until India, in their second innings, collapsed to 49 for 3 before lunch, and 87 for 4 soon after. In stepped Tendulkar with a masterful 176, balancing caution with command. At the other end was VVS Laxman, back at the scene of his epic 281 from a year ago. He batted through the day for an unbeaten 154 off 396 balls as the game ended in a draw.

MS Dhoni pulls James Anderson Nick Potts / © PA Photos/Getty Images

Lord’s 2007
Rain came to India’s rescue as they drew the Test with just one wicket remaining. Last batter S Sreesanth had survived a huge appeal for lbw off Monty Panesar, and MS Dhoni had gone about saving the match in unique style – launching ten boundaries en route to 76 not out – when Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel agreed it had become too dark thanks to the rain, which arrived five minutes before tea.

Napier 2009
Asked to follow-on with a 314-run deficit, and with six-and-a-half sessions of play left, India were cornered. But Gautam Gambhir dug in with a marathon 137 off 436 balls across 643 minutes. Dravid and Tendulkar chipped in with solid fifties, while Laxman stood firm with an unbeaten 124. India batted out 180 overs – their longest second-innings batting effort this century.

Ahmedabad 2010
The Test had drifted for three days and a session, with over 900 runs scored for just 15 wickets. Then Chris Martin sparked a stunning collapse – India slid to 15 for 5, and then 65 for 6. Enter Laxman, India’s crisis man, and Harbhajan Singh, who raced to his maiden Test ton. Their 54-over stand pulled India from the brink, and secured a hard-fought draw.

R Ashwin embraces Hanuma Vihari after the match ended in a draw AFP via Getty Images

Sydney 2014-15
Three wickets needed for Australia, a wearing SCG pitch, the light fading, and India trying to cling on for a draw – it could have been the 2007-08 finish at the same venue all over again. But Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar held their nerve. India’s chances of saving the Test seemed gone when they lost their sixth wicket with 20 overs to be bowled, but Rahane showed his mettle by soaking up 88 balls for 38 not out.

Sydney 2020-21
A bruised and battered India line-up couldn’t run between the wickets for a session. They had a player with a fractured thumb waiting to bat next. They copped one body blow after another. And yet, against all odds, R Ashwin (39* off 128 balls) and Hanuma Vihari (23* from 161) produced one of the most dramatic displays of patient batting to pull off a draw that hardly anyone saw coming.