The 10 best Test comebacks this century

Kolkata, 2001

India beat Australia by 171 runs

Steve Waugh's Australians had won a world record 16 Tests in a row and looked certain to make it 17 when they had India 4-232 in their second innings, still trailing by 42 runs after the skipper had enforced the follow-on. Enter VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, who produced one of the most monumental partnerships in Test history to turn the contest on its head. Laxman's 281 was at the time the highest score ever by an Indian, and Dravid's 180 was typically defiant as they combined for a 376-run stand for the fifth wicket. India declared at 7-657 to set the Aussies 384 to win, and Harbhajan Singh ran through them with six wickets to complete a remarkable win.

Antigua, 2003

West Indies beat Australia by three wickets

The Windies' pursuit of 418 against Australia in Antigua remains the highest successful run chase in the history of the game. After both teams posted 240 in their first innings, the Aussies cruised to 0-242 in their second dig thanks to centuries from openers Matthew Hayden (177) and Justin Langer (111). Even a collapse of 10-175 did little to lessen Australia's status as favourites, especially when the wicket of key man Brian Lara left the hosts four wickets down and still 253 short of their target. But tons from Ramnaresh Sarwan (105) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (104) put them on course for victory, with tailenders Omari Banks (47no) and Vasbert Drakes (27no) securing a famous win with three wickets to spare.

Galle, 2004

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 197 runs

Eager to impress under newly installed skipper Ricky Ponting, Australia fell under the spell of rubber-wristed spin magician Muttiah Muralidaran (6-59) after Ponting had elected to bat in the series opener. Four wickets down and 78 runs in front the following day, Sri Lanka looked set to expose the mortality of a team shorn of its former skipper Steve Waugh and missing legendary quick Glenn McGrath. But after the hosts claimed a 161-run advantage on the first innings, Matthew Hayden (130), Damien Martyn (110) and then Darren Lehmann (129) piled on centuries to set a victory target of 352. Shane Warne did the rest, claiming his 500th Test wicket and finishing with 10 scalps for the match to secure a famous win.

Melbourne, 2008

South Africa beat Australia by nine wickets

Eight wickets down in their first innings and still trailing by 143, South Africa's hopes of taking an unassailable 2-0 series lead looked dashed. But Dale Steyn chose the perfect time to post a career-best 76, with the No.10 putting on 180 for the penultimate wicket with the superb JP Duminy (166) to see the Proteas take a 65-run lead. And Steyn wasn't done there, ripping through the Australian top-order and finishing with 5-67 to set up a chase of just 183. The visitors breezed to victory, losing just one wicket to record their first ever Test series win on Australian soil and hand the hosts their first series defeat at home in 16 years.

Sydney, 2010

Australia beat Pakistan by 36 runs

Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz were the heroes for Australia in this see-sawing match, in which the home side's blushes were spared following a day-one debacle that saw them skittled for just 127. Pakistan replied with 333 and had Australia 8-257 in their second innings, leading by only 51. But Hussey (134no) found support in the unlikely figure of Peter Siddle (38), and together they forged a lead of 176 that proved to be enough as Hauritz took 5-53 on the final day.

Cape Town, 2011

South Africa beat Australia by eight wickets

When South Africa were routed for just 96 to give up a first-innings advantage of almost 200 runs on the second day, Australia were almost unbackable favourites to grab a 1-0 lead in the series. But a history-making performance by debutant Vernon Philander (5-15) saw the tourists ripped out for just 47 in their second innings, with the last wicket pair of Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon more than doubling the score after the tourists had slumped to 9-21. Completely and utterly deflated after 18 overs of batting madness, Australia then leaked runs at more than 4.5 runs an over with the ball as centuries to Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla helped the Proteas cruise to their victory target of 236 with the loss of just two wickets.

Lord’s, 2015

England beat New Zealand by 124 runs

From 4-30 in their first innings and then three for essentially negative 60 in their second dig, England had no right to win this one. But there's just something about Ben Stokes when his back is against the wall. Along with Joe Root (98), the allrounder helped to lift the hosts to 389 in the first innings thanks to a knock of 92, although a Kane Williamson century swiftly made that tally look paltry and handed the Kiwis a 134-run lead. With Alastair Cook (162) providing support in England’s second innings, Stokes then bashed the fastest ever century (off 85 balls) at the iconic venue before dismissing both Williamson and Brendon McCullum to steal the match from his country of his birth and put England on course for an Ashes win later on that summer.

Galle, 2015

Sri Lanka beat India by 63 runs

What is it about this iconic ground and comeback wins? When Sri Lanka were reeling at 3-5 and then 5-95 in their second dig having given up a 192-run lead on the first innings, an innings victory looked on the cards for a powerful Indian side. But Dinesh Chandimal refused to lie down, scoring a majestic 162 and setting India a classic ‘tricky’ chase of 176. And it proved to be more than enough as Rangana Herath ran riot on a fourth-day pitch, taking 7-48 as India folded for 112.

Leeds, 2019

England beat Australia by one wicket

Those looking back at the remarkable scorecard of this Test in the years to come may deduce the visitors, up 1-0 in the series, had become intoxicated by the prospect of being only a solitary win – and then only a solitary wicket – away from retaining the Ashes. But the sight of coach Justin Langer drinking from a mug bearing the words 'one day at a time' at training in the lead-in to the Test would surely pour cold water (or hot tea) on those suggestions. When the hosts, skittled for 67 in embarrassing fashion only two days' prior, lost their penultimate wicket when they were still 72 runs adrift of their unimaginable fourth-innings target of 359, Langer must have briefly allowed himself to reflect on his side’s soon-to-be-confirmed glory. What followed was the stuff of fantasy, as Ben Stokes exploded with a series of breath-taking strokes while cleverly shielding No.11 Jack Leach from the strike to seal one of the most memorable Test wins of all time.