The Indian cricket team has been a force to be reckoned with on home soil since 2012, the last time they lost a Test series in the Indian subcontinent.

The 2-1 series defeat against England in November-December 2012 gave birth to an era of domination by Team India, who are on a terrific 18-series winning streak on home turf since then, an all-time record!

In the three-match Test series of the New Zealand tour of India 2024, the Rohit Sharma-led side found themselves trailing by 1-0 despite an inspiring effort to emerge triumphant.

Nonetheless, given their staggering record, one can expect the home team to bounce back, something they have done multiple times in the past.

Let’s dive into the instances since 2012 where India made a comeback after losing the opening clash of the series.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2017 (2-1 win)

The most awaited bilateral series every year, isn’t it? For Indians, it’s not just an encounter between India and Australia, it’s an emotion!

The first match of the series saw the Aussies begin the tour with a dominating 333-run win at the MCA Stadium, Pune. At no point did the Steve Smith-led side put their foot off the gas, keeping the Indians on the backfoot throughout the contest.

What followed next was a testament to Team India’s prowess in their own den.

A fighting 75-run win, anchored by the Player of the Match KL Rahul (90 & 51) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/84 & 6/41), restored the parity with two matches to go.

While the third match resulted in a high-scoring draw with as many as three centurions (Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell & Wriddhiman Saha) and one double-centurion (Cheteshwar Pujara), the fourth and final fixture of the series at Dharamsala went India’s way as they recorded a comfortable eight-wicket win.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named the Player of the Series for picking 25 wickets in four matches.

England tour of India 2021 (3-1 win)

With just a solitary success in five series before the said series against England, the Indian cricket team had a good chance to extend their commanding home run when they squared off in the four-match series in 2021.

However, the visitors began on a positive note with a crushing 227-run victory courtesy of skipper Joe Root’s terrific double ton (218) in the first innings.

Thereafter, Team India responded with a cracking 317-run win at Chepauk. Aamcha Mumbaicha Raja Rohit Sharma played a superb 161-run knock as hometown hero Ashwin was named the Player of the Match for registering a century and picking eight scalps over four days.

The third and the fourth Test were just another example of India’s unmatched supremacy at home. Two wins, by 10 wickets and by an innings and 25 runs, respectively, guided the home team to a resounding 3-1 series win.

Ash Anna, thanks to 32 wickets, won the Player of the Series award.

England tour of India 2024 (4-1 win)

Although it was Team India’s first such situation under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, our Hitman went about it in style with a 4-1 victory over the Englishmen earlier this year.

Following a narrow 28-run victory in the series curtain-raiser, England surely wouldn't have anticipated the Indians to strike back with four wins on the trot. And that’s exactly what happened!

Boom Boom’s dazzling performance (6/45 & 3/46) rattled the opponents in the second game as Sir Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round display in the third powered India to a 106-run and 434-run victory, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead.

RO’s men sealed the series with a five-wicket win in Ranchi. The final game at Dharamsala, being a dead rubber, didn’t hold India back as they concluded with sheer authority.

A victory by an innings and 64 runs, graced by Rohit’s scintillating century in the first innings, wrapped up a memorable series!