List of Test matches with equal first-innings scores ft. India vs England, Lord’s

by · Inside Sport India

Catch the list of Test matches with equal first-innings scores by both teams.

Test cricket threw up a statistical gem on Day 3 of the third Test between India and England at Lord’s, as both teams finished with identical first-innings scores of 387. It’s only the ninth time in the long history of the game that both sides have ended up with exactly the same total after the first innings. As for matches where India was involved, it was only the third incident.

India, led by KL Rahul’s fighting century, matched England’s earlier effort. It basically nullified Joe Root’s ton. Rahul’s 100, Rishabh Pant’s brave 74 while batting with an injured finger, and a composed 72 from Ravindra Jadeja helped the visitors stretch their innings deep into the third day. But once Mohammed Siraj fell, India found themselves level with England. No lead, no deficit, only the scoreboard reading the same: 387 all out.

List Of instances of same First Innings score in Test Cricket

Below is the list of all Test matches where both teams had identical first-innings totals:

Teams InvolvedFirst Innings ScoreMatch ResultVenueYear
England vs South Africa199England lostDurban1910
India vs West Indies222India lostKanpur1958
New Zealand vs Pakistan402DrawAuckland1973
West Indies vs Australia428DrawKingston1973
India vs England390DrawBirmingham1986
England vs West Indies593DrawSt John’s1994
West Indies vs Australia240WI wonSt John’s2003
England vs New Zealand350England lostLeeds2015
India vs England387TBDLord’s2025*

This is just the ninth instance in 147 years of Test cricket where the first innings of a match ended with both teams on the same total. The first came back in 1910 when England and South Africa both made 199 in Durban. The highest identical score came in 1994 when England and the West Indies piled on 593 each in Antigua.

For India, this is now the third such occasion. They previously shared 222 with the West Indies in 1958 at Kanpur, and 390 with England in 1986 at Birmingham. Interestingly, all of those matches ended in draws. However, considering how lethal Shubman Gill and his men were in the dying stages of the game, it looks like they won’t settle for a draw.

This 387-all-out by both sides now ranks fifth on the all-time list of identical first innings scores. With two days to go, the Lord’s Test is perfectly set up for a dramatic finish.