3 min readAug 15, 2026 07:50 AM IST
India will begin their landmark 600th Test match on the country’s 80th Independence Day against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday.
In their first Test tour of the island nation in nine years, India will become only the third team in history to have recorded 600 Test appearances to date, after England(1097) and Australia (883).
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The country played their first-ever Test match in June 1932, taking on England at Lord’s, suffering a 158-run defeat.
Registering their first Test victory took India 25 Tests and 20 years. After playing England, Australia and West Indies – for 12 losses and as many draws – India notched up an innings and six-run victory over England in Madras under the leadership of the legendary Vijay Hazare on February 10, 1952.
India remained a middling team, ranked sixth-best in the world in the 20th century. Pakistan and South Africa, who played considerably fewer games than India during this period, recorded more wins.
India’s milestone matches
| No. | Opponent | Date | Venue | Result |
| 1st Test | England | 25-Jun-1932 | Lord’s | ENG (158 runs) |
| 100th Test | England | 13-Jul-1967 | Birmingham | ENG (132 runs) |
| 200th Test | Pakistan | 10-Dec-1982 | Lahore | Drawn |
| 300th Test | South Africa | 20-Nov-1996 | Ahmedabad | IND (64 runs) |
| 400th Test | West Indies | 30-Jun-2006 | Kingston | IND (49 runs) |
| 500th Test | New Zealand | 22-Sep-2016 | Kanpur | IND (197 runs) |
Turn of the 21st century
The 21st century brought about a remarkable uptick in India’s Test fortunes. In these 25 years, India have won 123 of 263 Tests and stands third among all teams, only behind Australia and England.
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India’s result progression
- After 25 Tests – Won: 1, Loss: 12, Draw: 12
- After 100 Tests – Won: 10, Loss: 40, Draw: 50
- After 200 Tests – Won: 35, Loss: 72, Draw: 93, Tied: 1
- After 300 Tests – Won: 56, Loss: 98, Draw: 145, Tied: 1
- After 400 Tests – Won: 88, Loss: 129, Draw: 182, Tied: 1
- After 500 Tests – Won: 130, Loss: 157, Draw: 212, Tied: 1
- After 599* Tests – Won: 186, Loss: 188, Draw: 224, Tied: 1
A pivotal phase in India’s resurgence came when MS Dhoni passed the reins of the Test side to Virat Kohli. Between 2014 and 2020, Kohli led India to 40 wins in 68 Tests with a 58.82 win percentage.
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“It’s a big honour and privilege for me to captain India in any Test match,” Gill told reporters in Galle.
“Captaining India in our 600th Test is a huge honour and doing it on India’s Independence Day makes it even more special.”
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India’s record in the longest format, however, has been dented in recent years, suffering major home defeats against New Zealand (0-3 in 2024) and South Africa (0-2) last year. Having missed out on the World Test Championship final last year, India are currently ranked fifth in the ongoing cycle, with four wins in nine matches.
