Timeline of India national cricket team vs England cricket team India played its first Test match against England at Lords in 1932. From Test cricket to ODIs and T20Is, decades of rivalry have witnessed not only historic wins, World Cup meetings but also some unforgettable individual moments along the way. India won its maiden Test series in England in 1971, but later generations saw famous moments like the ODI final at Lord’s in 2002, Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes (in an over) in 2007 and other big ICC knockout meetings.
Updated until 2026, this timeline covers key milestones but not every match. Data have been cross-checked against ICC records and other official cricket sources for historical data.
India vs England Timeline: Quick Overview
| Year | Format/Event | Major Moment |
| 1932 | Test | India played its first Test against England at Lord’s |
| 1952 | Test | India recorded its first Test victory against England |
| 1971 | Test | India won its first Test series in England |
| 1974 | ODI | India played its first ODI against England |
| 1986 | Test | India won another Test series in England |
| 2002 | ODI | India defeated England in the NatWest Trophy final |
| 2007 | T20I | Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in one over |
| 2007 | Test | India won a Test series in England |
| 2011 | Test | England defeated India 4–0 |
| 2012 | Test | England won a Test series in India |
| 2016 | Test | India defeated England 4–0 |
| 2018 | Test | England won the series 4–1 |
| 2021 | Test | India defeated England 3–1 in India |
| 2022 | T20 World Cup | England defeated India in the semi-final |
| 2024 | Test | India defeated England 4–1 |
| 2024 | T20 World Cup | India defeated England in the semi-final |
| 2025 | T20I | India won the five-match series 4–1 |
| 2025 | Test | India and England drew the series 2–2 |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup | India defeated England in the semi-final |
| 2026 | T20I | England won the T20I series |
| 2026 | ODI | England won the ODI series |
1932: India Plays Its First Test Against England
India started their international Test journey against England back in 1932. It was an Test match played at Lord’s in London, which made India’s start to Test cricket Outside of the traditional triad of England, Australia and South Africa, India was one of the nations that acquired Test status first. India is recognized by the ICC as a Test playing nation since 1932.
England won the match itself, but its significance in terms of history went a lot deeper than that. It laid the groundwork for what would become a storied international cricket rivalry almost 155 yr.Cross.
.1952: India Records Its First Test Victory
India got their first Test win over England in 1952. The one to win the last Test involving fiery pace bowler Malcolm Marshall was held in Madras – now Chennai.
And this was an innings win for India a one sided affair with Vinoo Mankad at his very best with the ball. India’s first-ever Test win, and the moment was landmark because India had to wait 20 years from its Test début until this first win.
That victory in 1952 features as one of the great milestones, perhaps the major turning point in India finding its feet as a Test-playing country.
1971: India’s First Test Series Victory in England
India-England rivalry is one of the significant chapters in cricket history among the international matches and maintaining a lead there from the very start, 1971 tour by England also goes down as important match no matter whatever happened later. India, led by captain Ajit Wadekar, drew the first two Tests before winning a famous deciding third Test at The Oval.
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar with 6/38 in the second innings as England were bowled out for just 101, India winning by 7 wickets at The Oval. India successfully chased down 173 in :Winning by four wickets
That win earned India their first Test series victory in England and went down as one of the iconic moments in Indian cricket.
1974: India Makes Its ODI Debut Against England
India’s ODI journey started against England too. The first ODI between the two teams, in 1974, was held at Headingley in Leeds.
It was a first exposure to international one-day cricket for India and it set another format in the growing rivalry.
India and England had played their first ODI despite England’s victory over India in that match, the fixture established itself as the foundation of decades long contests between India and England with regards to limited overs cricket.
1986: India Wins Another Test Series in England
In 1986 India headed back to England and delivered another winning Test series.
The three-Test series was won by India 2–0 with one Test match drawn. It was India’s second Test series win in England, the first being their historic 1971 success.
The importance of the achievement was greater because winning Tests away from home was significantly tougher than it is now.
2002: India’s Famous NatWest Trophy Final Victory
One of the most remembered Indo-Eng ODIs is the 2002 NatWest Trophy final at Lord’s.
Batting first, England scored 325/5. Following that, India chased down the target with two balls to spare, scoring 326/8.
Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh were the main architects of India’s run chase. Even Sourav Ganguly’s celebration from the balcony of the Lord’s became one of the most iconic images in Indian cricket.
This match is still an important milestone in the decade-long history of India v England ODIs as it was a HEAVY chase achieved one of England s most cherished ground in international cricket.
2007: Yuvraj Singh Hits Six Sixes
India vs England cricket at one of the most celebrated in India-by-England kmoments were during the 2007 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over as India played England in Durban.
Yuvraj brought up his fifty of just 12 deliveries creating one of the milestones in early international T20. India won the match in the end.
The performance remains one of the most memorable individual moments in the history of India-England cricket.
2007: India Wins a Test Series in England
India had a very good time against England back in 2007.
India had also prevailed over England in the Test series 1–0, with two matches ending in a draw after the T20 World Cup match.
India became the third Test series in England since 1971 and 1986. India’s Test tour of England include a 2007 series victory, which features in ICC records.
2011: England Wins 4–0
Another dominant performance from England came in 2011 when India toured England.
The series ended 4–0 in favour of England (series) with a 4 out of 7 drawn series. At Edgbaston, England put the result beyond doubt with a 3–0 lead and also moved to No.1 in ICC Test rankings at that time.
The series went down as one of India’s biggest Test series losses against England.
2012: England Wins in India
Another breakthrough result followed when England visited India in 2012.
When Alastair Cook’s side won the four-Test series 2–1 it was only one of a handful of visiting teams to win a Test series on Indian soil during that period.
In addition, during that tour Joe Root made his Test debut for England — a fact the series is also associated with.
2016: India Dominates England 4–0
During the England tour to India in 2016, India came up with a huge response.
India won the five-Test series 4–0, following a draw in the opening Test in Rajkot.
The series also saw India, especially their spin attack led by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have a major say.
That 4–0 win went into the books as one of India’s most conclusive Test series wins against England.
2018: England Wins 4–1
In 2018, India played a five-match series in England.
England won the series 4–1. All four matches were won by England while India could only manage one victory at Trent Bridge.
Few big guns of both Team were part of the series like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, James Anderson & Ben Stokes.
India’s 2018 tour set it up for a Test series in England, which are already in the ICC records from the previous victories there – 1971, 1986 and again in 2007.
2021: India Wins 3–1 in India
The 2021 Test for the England English group in India began with England winning the principal Test at Chennai.
India levelled the series by taking a 2nd Test victory by 317 runs. India then won the third Test at Ahmedabad, followed by the fourth Test, also in Ahmedabad, by an innings and 25 runs.
That left India winning the 4–match series 3–1.
That result also played a part in India qualifying for the first World Test Championship final.
2022: England Wins the T20 World Cup Semi-Final
In the 2nd semi-final of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (in Adelaide), it was India vs England ✔️
India set a target of 168/6 on bat. Then England went on to chase it down superbly with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales both unbeaten.
The English chased down the target of 171 at the cost of all their wickets for none as England finished with 170/0, thus knocking India out of the tournament.
They reached the 2022 T20 World Cup final only to lose to England there.
2024: India Wins the Test Series 4–1
In early 2024, England toured India for a further five-Test series.
India lost the first Test at Hyderabad and then went on to win four Test matches in a row against England.
India therefore achieved a series win 4–1.
Additionally, the series served as a significant platform for the younger Indian players, especially Yashasvi Jaiswal who excelled with the bat throughout the contest.
2024: India Defeats England in the T20 World Cup Semi-Final
They were once more paired in a T20 World Cup semi-final, this time in Guyana 2024
India made 171/7 before England was bowled out for 103.
With a whopping 68 run victory, Indian team made it to the final.
India beat South Africa in the final to secure victory at the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.
2025: India Wins the T20I Series 4–1
The first two skirmishes following England’s five-match T20I tour of India in early 2025.
India won the series 4–1. They lost the first Test at Rajkot to India, but won the second. Their only win in the ODI series came with a consolation success in the final match when the hosts had already secured an unassailable lead and it was 2-0 up in the T20I Series loss to India which England has so far lost two-nil by winning Australia 9 (Ravichandran Ashwin India’s star bowler) on one hand while not claiming either game for over wide minutes as play progressed through its long gaps amid advancing darkness late into a night of pandemonium surroundings.
In the fourth T20I, India won by 15 runs in Pune to take an unbeatable lead in the series. According to the ICC, it left India with a 3-1 unassailable lead.
2025: India Wins the ODI Series 3–0
India and England met again for a 3-match ODI series that followed the T20Is.
India had claimed a 2–0 lead taking the 1st ODI in Nagpur and then winning the second ODI in Cuttack.
India then carried a series 3–0 in Ahmedabad.
The series also acted as part of each teams’ preparations for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
2025: India and England Draw the Test Series 2–2
The closely-fought chapter of their rivalry was the five-Test series in England in 2025.
England won at Headingley in the first Test while India had a resounding victory at Edgbaston.
That was followed by a victory for England at Lord’s, and then India salvaged a draw in Manchester.
The fifth Test at The Oval provided another spectacular climax. Mohammed Siraj then turnd the match for India taking two wickets in quick succession as his side won by six runs.
This meant that the series finished 2–2 and the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was shared. The ICC referred to it as a five Test series where both teams “pushed each other across the full 25 days of play”.
2026: India Defeats England in the T20 World Cup Semi-Final
For the third time in a row at the T20 World Cup, it was India versus England for a place in the final when they faced each other once more in 2026.
The match took place in Mumbai at Wankhede Stadium, and was a another high-scoring game between the sides.
The win put India in the final after beating England by seven runs.
The match continued a strange recurring theme of India and England clashing in the T20 World Cup semi-final every two years, 2022, 2024, 2026.
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2026: England’s Recent White-Ball Series
After India faced England once more in the limited-overs formats, which then served as their continued rivalry after failing to meet at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
A five-match T20I series was played between the teams followed by a three-match ODI series.
England dominated the T20I series, and, naturally, won the ODI series too.
These 2026 meetings served as a new chapter in a long-standing rivalry that has spanned over nine decades of international cricket.
India vs England Timeline: Major ICC Encounters
There have been few matches from India’s side to that of England where stakes have been higher than in ICC tournaments.
India had beaten England during a group-stage match of the 2007 T20 World Cup in which Yuvraj Singh blasted six sixes to set English shores alight.
In the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022, India lost by 10 wickets to England.
Semi-final: 2024 T20 World Cup India beats England by 68 runs
India beat England by 7 runs in the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The knockout meetings have now added another layer to the age-old Test rivalry.
India vs England Test Rivalry
The historical basis of the India-England rivalry is Test cricket.
The inaugural Test took place in 1932, while India’s first win came as late as 1952.
India had previously won their first Test series in England in 1971 as well a second one in 1986, and a series win (1–0), eight years later in 2007. Now, ICC records also put the success of India in England in certain time intervals when it also mentions about their tour where they have declared England as winner like 2014 and 2018 series.
This rivalry has gotten ultra-competitive in recent years. India had won the 2024 series on home soil, 4-1 and the five-Test series in England in 2025 ended drawn at two-test apiece.
. India vs England Timeline: 2022–2026
| Year | Competition | Result |
| 2022 | T20 World Cup Semi-Final | England won by 10 wickets |
| 2024 | Test Series | India won 4–1 |
| 2024 | T20 World Cup Semi-Final | India won by 68 runs |
| 2025 | T20I Series | India won 4–1 |
| 2025 | ODI Series | India won 3–0 |
| 2025 | Test Series | Drawn 2–2 |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup Semi-Final | India won by 7 runs |
| 2026 | T20I Series | England won |
| 2026 | ODI Series | England won |
Conclusion
From India’s maiden Test at Lord’s in 1932 to the T20 World Cups and big-scoring limited-overs cricket of the 21st century, here is a look back on the sport across its history — India national cricket team vs England cricket team timeline Some of the defining moments in this rivalry has been India’s first Test win in 1952, first Test series victory at England in 1971, India winning that memorable Lord’s ODI final (2002) and Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes a single over (2007).
In 2026, it remains a very active rivalry with India and England both meeting in international formats. Having faced each other in the T20 World Cup semis in 2022, and would go on to do so again over the next few years (2024 & 2026), it adds another significant chapter to the cricket rivalry dating back more than nine decades.
FAQs
1. When did India and England first play cricket against each other?
India and England first played a Test match in 1932 at Lord’s, London. It was also India’s first-ever Test match.
2. When did India record its first Test win against England?
India recorded its first Test victory against England in 1952 in Madras (now Chennai), winning by an innings and eight runs.
3. When did India first win a Test series in England?
India won its first Test series in England in 1971 under captain Ajit Wadekar. India won the decisive Test at The Oval by four wickets.
4. What is the most famous India vs England cricket moment?
One of the most famous moments came during the 2007 T20 World Cup, when Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in a single over
5. When did India and England last meet in a T20 World Cup semi-final?
India and England met in the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. India won the match by seven runs.
