Shubman Gill-led India will join an elite list of teams to play 600 Test matches when they take the field against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday (August 15). India, who made their Test debut in 1932, have played 599 Tests thus far. They have 186 wins and 188 losses. India’s one Test has ended in a tie. 20 years after their Test debut, India finally registered their first win against England in 1952 in Chennai. The five-match Test series ended in a 1-1 draw.

Towards the end of 1952, India registered their first-ever series win when they defeated Pakistan. India kicked off the series with a win while Pakistan won the second game. India registered a win in the third Test to regain the lead. The last two Tests ended in a draw as India won the five-match series 2-1.

India registered their maiden overseas Test series win against New Zealand in 1968. The visitors won the four-match Test series 3-1. Fifty years later, Virat Kohli-led India created history by becoming the first-ever Asian team to win a Test series in Australia. The visitors won the series 2-1. They emulated their feat in 2020-21 under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy.

With 15921 runs, Sachin Tendulkar tops the list of Indian batters with the most Test runs. He hit 51 centuries. Anil Kumble, who scalped 619 wickets, is India’s most successful Test bowler.

England and Australia are two teams to play more Tests than India. England, the only team to play more than 1000 Tests, have 405 wins and 336 defeats in 1097 matches. Australia have 426 wins and 235 defeats. They won the second edition of the World Test Championship in 2023.

England and Australia played the first-ever Test match against each other in Melbourne in 1877. The home team won the fixture by 45 runs. They have been playing the Ashes series since 1882. To celebrate the 150 years of the first-ever Test, Australia will host England in a pink-ball Test from March 11 to 15, 2027.