A test series without Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. In 2012, it was India's first Test series without two legends since 1996. Then, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, team India was going through a transformation, with a slightly new look in the middle order.

Cheteshwar Pujara returned from injury for the series; Virat Kohli was there, and Suresh Raina was there with Sachin Tendulkar. Virat and Pujara became two pillars over the years for India in the format. Ravichandran Ashwin was then in his prime, taking wickets for fun. The visiting side, New Zealand, had a great chance to dominate Dravid and Laxman-less India, but they did not manage to do the needful.

On September 3, 2012, Men in Blue emerged victorious against the Blackcaps by 5 wickets in Bengaluru, with Virat Kohli as the man of the match for his 103 and 51* run knocks. New Zealand offered a good fight to the home team by scoring 365 and 248 runs in the first and second innings, respectively. After the first innings, the momentum of the match was tilted towards New Zealand because of a century from the skipper Ross Taylor and a 7-wicket haul by Tim Southee. Ravichandran Ashwin's fifer provided the extra thrust India needed to overtake NZ.With only one forty-plus-run inning, the touring team scored only 248 runs in the second inning and offered India a target of 261 runs to win the match. India won the match by 5 wickets. Virat remained unbeaten for 51, and 48-run innings from each of Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper MS Dhoni confirmed the winner of the rivalry. 

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Words after the match

"Virat's batting was superb. The spinners bowled brilliantly. This bowling attack hunts as a pack... Virat fought well and soaked up the pressure," MS Dhoni said after the match. 

"It was a tricky situation when I went out to bat, and I and MS took it ten runs at a time. I needed to be more patient, and it worked. There was more turn today; it was a great cricket wicket. I always love this crowd," Kohli said. 

September 3, 1990: birthday of star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, whose international debut turned into a piece of masterclass. In his first international match for India, in Tests, Shami took 9 for 118 against the West Indies in Kolkata in 2013, which still stands as the best match figures on debut for an Indian fast bowler.

But he liked to choose World Cups to show his true character. ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will always be remembered for his bowling brilliance. After missing the first three matches, the fast bowler became the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 24 scalps with an economy rate of 5.26 in 7 matches. Before that, in 2015 in Australia, the speed star bagged 17 wickets at 17.29, despite having an injured knee. During the next edition, he claimed 14.

Shami was an instrumental figure when Virat Kohli came in charge of leading Team India in Test cricket. During Virat's first Test tour against Australia, Shami got 15 wickets in 3 matches. Shami could have accumulated more wickets to his name if he did not suffer from multiple injuries. 

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Career graph took a sudden dive

The phase after the 2023 World Cup proved to be the toughest for Mohammed Shami. He had to undergo surgery and remained outside the field for a long time. After that, his career path was never the same as before. Mohammed Shami's best moments for India perhaps were the record-breaking 7-wicket haul in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and a World Cup hat-trick against Afghanistan in the same tournament. 

In 64 Test matches, the 34-year-old bowler struck 229 times; in ODIs, he got 206 wickets in 108 matches, though his T20I stats may not look as attractive as his numbers in the other two formats. The Uttar Pradesh-born has only 27 wickets in 25 T20Is.

On September 2, 2019, Team India whitewashed the West Indies as soon as they knocked down their last wicket in the second innings at Kingston. The match was remembered for a long time because of Hanuma Vihari and Jasprit Bumrah.

Vihari was the man of the match for his contributions with 111 and an unbeaten 53-run innings. Bumrah claimed a hat-trick and took 6 wickets in the first innings to set the tone perfectly for India to win the match with ease. Though, in the second innings, the pacer got only one wicket. The West Indies, the home team, faced batting faults in both phases of the game. After making only 117 runs in the first essay of the test, they tried to rectify their faults in the second. But they clearly lacked quality against the Indian bowling attack. They could only get 210 runs while they were chasing a target of 468.

If we talk about India's batting performances in the match, then it was mainly a team effort with Vihari's century on top. Then the skipper of India, Virat Kohli, opener Mayank Agarwal, and surprisingly pacer Ishant Sharma played fifty-plus knocks as well. With their effort, India registered 416 runs in the first innings. Then, when they came to bowl, Bumrah clinched 6 wickets to break the host's will to win the match. Ishant, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja too did their bowling duties with perfection. In their second innings, Ajinkya Rahane provided the perfect accompaniment to Hanuma by scoring an unbeaten 64. 

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"We played good cricket, and getting the result in the manner you want is crucial for the team. While batting there were some tricky situations, but it took some character from the boys... "It was an innings full of grit," Virat Kohli said after winning the match and series. 

Summary of the match:

India: 416 & 168/4d

West Indies: (T:468) 117 & 210

India won by 257 runs.

September 2, 1988- birthday of Indian pacer Ishant Sharma, who was once considered the successor of Zaheer Khan. The 6 ft 4 inch tall bowler with long hair and smooth bowling action was meant to be a fast bowler who played over 100 Test matches for team India.

After making a Test debut in May 2007, Sharma quickly became a sensation in the world of cricket. From late 2007 to 2008, Ishant bowled promisingly, especially against Australia. His first Test 5-wicket haul was against Pakistan in Bengaluru, and then he claimed another 5-wicket stat during a game against South Africa. Three matches later, Ishant captured 7 wickets in Bengaluru; this time the victim was the Australia cricket team.

But somehow, the pacer couldn't hold his momentum and started to drop form along with bowling speed. The right-handed pacer's career graph barely remained on the summit according to his potential. With lots of ups and downs, he again and again repackaged himself and delivered on pitch. When he completed 50 tests in early 2013, he had among the worst averages for bowlers with 50 test caps to their name, but the following year he was instrumental in India's famous Test win at Lord's, taking a career-best 7 for 74 in the match.

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He could have offer more

The fast bowlers' last few Test matches with India against New Zealand and England were full of disappointments. Ishant played his last Test match on November 25, 2021. A year later, he was an important figure in demolishing Sri Lanka in their homeland. 

In 105 tests, Ishant Sharma picked up 311 wickets, and in 80 ODIs, he took 115 scalps at an economy rate of 5.72, while in 14 T20Is, he got only 8 wickets. 

It was a statement from an emerging team in India, which was set to rule the Test cricket format under skipper Virat Kohli. On September 1, 2015, India won a Test series on the soil in Sri Lanka, against the home team. Since 1993, it was India's first Test series win in the country.

With the help of Cheteshwar Pujara's first-innings century, the Men in Blue got enough fuel to drive to the destiny. Batting first in Colombo, India scored 312 runs, with Pujara 145 not out against 289 deliveries. From India's batting part in the first innings, it was mostly a solo show from Pujara, who came to open the innings with KL Rahul. It was the 'Test Specialist' who remained strong on one side of the wicket, and on the other end, a series of falling wickets.

Surprisingly, when they were in front of a batting disaster, Amit Mishra again proved his batting abilities by scoring 59 off 87.Pujara and Mishra stitched a 104-run partnership to carry the team to a competitive total of 312. Ishant Sharma led the bowling department to help India to secure a significant lead, as the host lost all of their scalps in 201 runs. Sharma claimed 5 wickets. In the second innings, the middle order of the visiting side performed as a unit and offered Sri Lanka 386 as the target to win the match.

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Win for the 'Unit'

This time on a dry surface, Ravichandran Ashwin took 4 wickets, Ishant got 3, and Umesh Yadav got a brace. Then the skipper of Sri Lanka, Angelo Mathews, fought against the in-form Indian bowling line-up and scored 110 runs off 240 balls. Kusal Perera came up with a 70-run innings.

In front of India's team game, Sri Lanka's individual brilliance was not enough to stand. The home team was bowled out for 268 runs in the second innings, and India won the match by 117 runs. 

August 31, 1969- birthday of one Javagal Srinath, one of the best fast bowlers to ever play for Team India. Before the era of Zaheer Khan, Asish Nehra, or Ishan Sharma, Srinath was the spearhead of India's pace attack. His pair with Venkatesh Prasad became a formidable force for the Men in Blue.

The pacer from Karnataka was in his prime in 1998. With his strong shoulder action and ability to produce leg cutters and the slower deliveries, he introduced himself to the world of cricket as a wicket-taking bowler. At that time, he was considered the fastest bowler for India to play on international stages. From late 1998, in a span of 12 months, he took 50 wickets in five series at 29.6. During 1991-92, in the initial stage of Srinath's international career, he picked ten wickets in the five-Test series in Australia in 1991-92.

He repeated his performance against South Africa by clinching 12 from three matches, including six in the draw in Cape Town. In 1996, when South Africa visited India, the right-handed bowler harvested 17 from three tests. In the same year, when India traveled to South Africa, the medium pacer picked up 18 in the series, including 7 wickets in Johannesburg.

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South Africa was Javagal's happy hunting ground 

In his overall Test career, Javagal captured 236 wickets in 67 matches and 121 innings. In ODIs, the pacer clinched 315 scalps in 229 matches. After retiring from international cricket, Javagal Srinath developed himself as an ICC match referee to grace the gentleman's game more. 

He played four World Cups for India in his entire career. Including his best in 2003. In 2003, he took 16 wickets at 23 in India's run to the final, which marked his last international outing. Srinath announced his retirement in 2003 and then went on to become a match referee. 

Pakistan would have never predicted a storm that lashed on Trent Bridge on August 30, 2016. The name of the storm was Alex Hales. The English opener played an explosive innings that left the Pakistan bowling line-up clueless. The swashbuckling batter scored 171 off 122, powered by 22 boundaries and four 6s.

When the host was 281, Hasan Ali finally was able to remove the opener. Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and then the captain of England, Eoin Morgan, also contributed to the runs galore initiated by Hales. Root, Buttler, and Morgan added 85, 90*, and 57* to take the team total of 444 against 3 scalps in 50 overs. On the same surface, Pakistani batters were not able to match the intensity and aggression the English batters displayed.

Against 444, Pakistan was able to get only 275 runs, allowing the home team to win the game by 169 runs. The second innings of the match folded within the 43rd over. Chris Woakes took 4 wickets in his 5.4-over spell, including a maiden over. Surprisingly, Pakistan's 11th batter of their lineup, Mohammad Amir, was the most impactful performer with the bat.

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A match full of surprises 

Amir scored 58 runs off 28 balls with five boundaries and four over boundaries. Sharjeel Khan, one of the openers of the Pakistan cricket team, also tried to set the tone while chasing a mammoth target. He notched 58 off 30. Apart from these two players, the remaining part of Pakistan's batting order was not able to perform significantly. 

"A special venue, always guaranteed high-scoring games. I didn't know about the record, as J. Roy got 160-odd at The Oval and came close," Alex Hales said about his 171-run innings. Hales' score against Pakistan was then the highest in ODIs by an England batter, beating Robin Smith's 167.

August 29, 2017—a memorable day for the West Indies. On that day, the West Indies won their first Test in England in 17 years. A young Shai Hope was selected as man of the match for his effortless batting in both of the innings at Headingley. 

The match was a close fight between the West Indies and England, the host. England, led by Joe Root, went to bat first in the first innings. Then the England cricket team was going through a transition phase. So the team on the sheet was not evenly balanced. West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel did not take too long to strike. The pacer cleared both of the openers, including Alastair Cook, with short intervals. Tom Westley, who came at number 3, returned to the pavilion quickly. England was 4 down, only 71. At that moment, Root and Ben Stokes came in the middle to rescue their team. With Stokes' 100 and Root's 59, England somehow managed to get 258 on the scoreboard. 

While most of the batters of the visiting side were unimpressive, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope played differently. Hope came with 147, and Brathwaite notched 134. Jason Holder (c) and Jermaine Blackwood contributed with forty-plus scores from the lower middle order to take WI's first innings total to 427. 

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Hope delivered again 

England regrouped and replied with 490/8d in the second phase of the match. 6 of their 11 players played fifty-plus innings to cover up their first innings due and offered West Indies a competitive target of 322 runs. 

The target was stiff enough to chase down on the tricky surface of Leeds. Like the first innings, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope again stood tall and delivered. Brathwaite missed another century by only 5 runs; Hope secured the milestone win for the West Indies by scoring an unbeaten 118 runs off 211 balls. Shai was then an emerging batter, 23 years of age, considered as one of the brightest prospects of world cricket, and got the man of the match award. 

On August 29, 2013, the cricket world witnessed a jaw-dropping batting performance from Aaron Finch. In Southampton, the Australian opener scored a thunderous 156 runs against only 63 deliveries—still the highest individual score in T20 Internationals.

With the help of Aaron's explosive innings, Australia, batting first, registered 248—at the time, the second-highest total in T20Is. He thrashed 11 boundaries and a staggering number of 14 over boundaries. Finch went off the mark with a six, and later on in the match he touched every record in the same way. In the England bowling line-up with Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, and Jade Dernbach, they found no reply against the batting exhibition.

During the innings, Finch played some outrageous shots, which took the standards of Twenty20 cricket to the next level. After Aaron Finch, Shane Watson was the second-highest scorer for Australia with 37. Literally, the match turned into a one-man show. England started to lose wickets while chasing the gigantic target. Their middle-order batters started to fight back in a proper way.

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Joe Root went berserk 

Joe Root went out of the box to score an unbeaten 90 off 49. Ravi Bopara scored a quick-fire 45. Those individuals are not enough to match the required run rate. Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood were expensive but managed to claim a brace each. England got 209 runs in exchange for 6 wickets; Australia won the match by 39 runs. 

"It's good to come here from Australia 'A' side and play some good cricket. It was one of those days, not easy for the quicks, no spin, so I managed to get it away," Aaron Finch said after the match. Then the captain of Australia, George Bailey, compared Finch's innings with Chris Gayle's batting in the Indian Premier League (IPL). "I think the only innings I've seen like (Finch's) was Chris Gayle in the IPL."

In 2010, the whole cricket integrity was rocked when the news of a huge spot-fixing scandal broke out involving three Pakistan internationals, including their skipper. For a significant amount of money, those cricketers agreed with a bookmaker to fix the match against England at Lord's cricket ground, and they did exactly the same according to the plan.

Then the skipper of Pakistan, Salman Butt, fast bowler Mohammad Asif, and a highly talented pacer, Mohammad Amir, were in the headlines with the allegations to spot-fix the Test match. The incident was staged during Pakistan's tour of England, specifically during the fourth Test match at Lord's.

The theory of a possible spot-fixing scandal started to revolve around no-balls at specific moments. Amir's no-ball was enough to raise the eyebrows. He overstepped the line by miles. An undercover sting operation led by News of the World, a British tabloid, exposed the whole episode and the main man behind the spot fixing. Along with three cricketers, another name started to float around every corner of the cricket world: Mazhar Majeed, a sports agent who had connections with the players.

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Involving cricketers received prison sentences 

Majeed orchestrated the dark episode of cricket history, and the cricketers did according to that. Footage from the sting operation emerged as one of the prime pieces of evidence against them. The International Cricket Council (ICC), with immediate effect, suspended the three players.

In November 2011, after a high-profile trial in London, all three players were found guilty of corruption and conspiracy to accept illegal payments. Salman Butt was sentenced to 30 months in prison, while Mohammad Asif went to jail for a year. Because of his young age and early confession, Mohammad Amir received a six-month prison sentence.