Eden Gardens, March 1998. Australia were beaten by an innings and 219 runs. One hundred and twenty-seven Tests passed before they suffered a loss of comparable magnitude again, and when it came, against South Africa in Cape Town recently, it was a day more than 11 years since Kolkata. No team has played more matches in a row without an innings defeat.
During this period Australia won 88 Tests, lost 21 and drew 20, under Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting. The closest they came to going down by an innings was when West Indies had to chase a target of 3 at Sabina Park in 1999. Australia's last innings loss prior to the Kolkata defeat had come 58 Tests and five years earlier, against West Indies at the WACA in 1993. And the one prior to that was against Pakistan in Karachi in 1988. Therefore Australia have suffered only four innings defeats in their last 231 Tests, spanning 20 years.
Three other countries have played more than 100 consecutive Tests without being beaten by an innings. England were thrashed by an innings and 154 runs in the first Ashes Test in 1954 after which they played 108 Tests without an innings defeat. The run ended in 1966 when they lost the fourth Ashes Test by an innings and nine runs.
West Indies went 16 years without being beaten by an innings between 1968 and 1984. The defeats on either side of this period came against Australia. The first loss - by an innings and 30 runs - was at the MCG in 1968 and the next - by an innings and 55 runs - came at the SCG in 1984. Between those matches West Indies lost 22, won 41 and drew 54 of their 117 Tests.
India is the third country to go over 100 Tests without an innings defeat, during a period that began a few months after their World Cup triumph. India lost to West Indies in Kolkata in December 1983 by an innings and 46 runs and then played 112 Tests without a similar margin of defeat. In 2000, however, India came up against Australia at the MCG. Justin Langer scored a double-century, Glenn McGrath took 10 wickets and India were routed by an innings and 141 runs.
At present, South Africa have played the most consecutive matches without suffering an innings defeat. They were last beaten by an innings in July 2006 in Colombo, when Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara had a world-record partnership of 624, and have played 31 Tests since. Two days before South Africa's defeat, Pakistan were also beaten by an innings for the last time, by England at Old Trafford. However, they have played only 15 Tests since.
The table below contains the longest streaks without an innings win, and only two countries have played more than 100 consecutive matches without one. New Zealand played their first Test against England in 1930, but it was only 26 years and 45 Tests later that they scored their first victory - against West Indies in Auckland. Their first innings victory took much longer. It came only in 1976, when Richard Hadlee wrecked India with 11 for 58 in Wellington, 46 years and 118 matches after their maiden Test.
India are the other team to have played more than 100 Tests without an innings win. They beat New Zealand by an innings and 109 runs in Madras in 1956 and had to wait 106 Tests and 22 years before their next one, against Australia at the SCGin 1978.
Bangladesh are yet to beat a team by an innings in Tests and their 59 matches is the longest current streak without an innings victory. Their solitary Test win, against Zimbabwe in 2005, was by 226 runs. Among the major Test nations, India has gone the longest without an innings win. They've played 23 Tests since beating Bangladesh by an innings and 239 runs in Mirpur in May 2007.
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