Test cricket is always known for testing the patience level of both batsmen and bowlers. It is always seen that a team would start quite slowly, building tall opening partnerships, and then the other batters would take over them and lead the team to a massive team total.
Only sometimes do we see a team making totals of 600-650+. This has been because of the potent threat the bowling lineup always poses. But, with the harsh batting conditions, carrying the bat throughout is not easy in seaming conditions. Even in the subcontinent, it is challenging to have high scores.
India has been known for its defensive approach, at least from the batting perspective. Also, India would post such huge totals, and players scoring those daddy hundreds are also uncommon. In this article, we will look at the top 5 Test team totals of the Indian Cricket Team.
Highest Team Totals for India in Tests
| Score (Overs) | Innings | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 759/7d (190.4) | 2 | England | Chennai | 16 Dec 2016 |
| 726/9d (163.3) | 2 | Sri Lanka | Brabourne | 2 Dec 2009 |
| 707 (225.2) | 2 | Sri Lanka | Colombo (SSC) | 26 Jul 2010 |
| 705/7d (187.3) | 1 | Australia | Sydney | 2 Jan 2004 |
| 687/6d (166.0) | 1 | Bangladesh | Hyderabad | 9 Feb 2017 |
| 676/7 (167.1) | 2 | Sri Lanka | Kanpur | 17 Dec 1986 |
| 675/5d (161.5) | 1 | Pakistan | Multan | 28 Mar 2004 |
| 664 (170.0) | 1 | England | The Oval | 9 Aug 2007 |
| 657/7d (178.0) | 3 | Australia | Eden Gardens | 11 Mar 2001 |
| 649/9d (149.5) | 1 | West Indies | Rajkot | 4 Oct 2018 |
Key Stats
759/7d – The highest Test team total for India has come in Chennai’s very own Chepauk Stadium. This massive score was made possible by a cracker of an innings was played by the man, who is no longer in talks about even being in the squad, let about being in the playing 11. Karun Nair it is. This guy hit a triple century, and yes, that was the last match he ever played for India in the whites. It was an outstanding knock, wherein he hit 32 boundaries and 4 big hits out of the ground striking at 79.52, scoring 303 not out. Two good cameo innings followed this magnificent knock of Nair by Ashwin and Jadeja, both hitting half-centuries.
Then comes the 726-for-9-declared made against Sri Lanka in 2009 at Brabourne Stadium. One would always yearn to see the openers laying a good foundation for the team to score a massive team total. So what could have been better than one opener scoring 87 and the other one going to hit a humongous knock of 293, that too at a strike rate of 115.35? Yes, this was made possible in Test cricket. Only vintage Viru could have done that, and he did so impressively, smashing bowlers for fun hitting 40 boundaries and seven maximums in the course of his innings. Three fifties followed this by the walking-in batters and a good hundred hit by MS Dhoni.
The 707 in Colombo against the home side (Sri Lanka) is the highest Indian Test score ever made in an away venue. This is also the highest total for an Indian side in a drawn Test match.
On the same note, the highest team score in a losing cause is when India made 532 against Australia in Sydney. The home team made two 400+ scores and wrapped up India in the final innings at 210, which is 122 runs short of the target score.
