West Indies Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline spans 101 Test matches since 1948, telling a story of two contrasting eras – nearly five decades of Caribbean pace dominance, followed by an Indian stranglehold that has now lasted over two decades without a single series defeat. West Indies lead the all-time Test head-to-head 30 wins to 24, with 47 draws, yet India have not lost a bilateral series against them since 2002. This single fact defines the entire modern rivalry between these two storied cricketing nations.
Who Leads the India vs West Indies Head-to-Head in Tests?
West Indies hold a narrow historical edge in this fixture, but India dominate every meeting that matters today. Across 101 Tests, West Indies have won 30, India have won 24, and 47 matches ended drawn. This numerical gap, built largely during the 1960s-1980s pace era, no longer reflects the balance of power between the two sides.
Overall Head-to-Head Table
| Metric | Result |
| Total Tests played | 101 |
| India won | 24 |
| West Indies won | 30 |
| Drawn | 47 |
| India series wins since 2002 | 9 consecutive series |
| Last West Indies series win | 2002 |
The India-West Indies Test history breaks almost exactly at 2002 – everything before that year favors the Caribbean side; everything after belongs to India.
Complete Series-by-Series Timeline of India vs West Indies
Understanding the full India-West Indies rivalry history requires more than a few headline years – it demands every series result, home and away, decade by decade.
The Caribbean Dominance Era (1948-1994)
West Indies controlled this fixture almost entirely for nearly 50 years, powered by legendary pace quartets and dominant batting line-ups.
| Year | Host | Series Result |
| 1948/49 | India | West Indies won 1-0 |
| 1952/53 | India | West Indies won |
| 1958/59 | India | West Indies won |
| 1961/62 | West Indies | West Indies won 5-0 |
| 1966/67 | India | West Indies won 2-0 |
| 1970/71 | West Indies | India won 1-0 |
| 1974/75 | West Indies | West Indies won |
| 1975/76 | India | West Indies won |
| 1978/79 | India | West Indies won |
| 1982/83 | West Indies | West Indies won |
| 1983/84 | India | West Indies won 3-0 |
| 1988/89 | India | West Indies won |
| 1994/95 | West Indies | West Indies won (last WI series win) |
India’s solitary win in this stretch – 1970/71 in the Caribbean – remains one of the great overseas upsets of the era, powered by a young Sunil Gavaskar’s debut heroics.
The Indian Dominance Era (2002-2026)
Since 2002, the India national cricket team has not lost a single Test series against West Indies, a run now covering nine consecutive bilateral contests.
| Year | Host | Series Result |
| 2002 | West Indies | West Indies won (last series loss for India) |
| 2002/03 | India | India won 2-0 |
| 2006 | West Indies | India won 1-0 |
| 2011 | West Indies | India won 1-0 |
| 2011/12 | India | India won 2-0 |
| 2013/14 | India | India won 2-0 |
| 2016 | West Indies | India won 2-0 |
| 2018/19 | India | India won 2-0 |
| 2019 | West Indies | India won 2-0 |
| 2023 | West Indies | India won 1-0 |
| 2025 | India | India won the opening Test by innings and 140 runs |
This full West Indies cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline shows a clean structural break – West Indies were the aggressors before 2002, India have been ever since.
Top Run Scorers in India vs West Indies Tests
Sunil Gavaskar is the greatest run-scorer this rivalry has ever produced, amassing 2,749 runs in just 27 matches at an extraordinary average of 65.45. His tally stands among the highest runs scored by any batter against a single opponent in the history of Test cricket.
Leading Batters Table
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Average | Centuries |
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | 27 | 2,749 | 65.45 | 13 |
| Clive Lloyd | West Indies | 28 | 2,344 | 58.60 | 7 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 25 | 2,171 | 63.85 | 7 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 23 | 1,978 | 63.80 | 5 |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | 28 | 1,927 | 50.71 | 8 |
Gavaskar’s 774 runs during the 1970/71 tour of the West Indies remain one of the finest overseas batting performances by any Indian cricketer, and his three double-centuries against West Indies underline just how thoroughly he mastered the fearsome pace attacks of that generation.
Top Wicket-Takers in India vs West Indies Tests
Kapil Dev tops the all-time wicket-taking charts in this rivalry, claiming 89 wickets across 25 Tests, including a career-best 9/83 in Ahmedabad.
Leading Bowlers Table
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best Figures | Average |
| Kapil Dev | India | 25 | 89 | 9/83 | 24.89 |
| Malcolm Marshall | West Indies | 17 | 76 | 6/37 | 21.98 |
| R Ashwin | India | 13 | 75 | 7/71 | 20.48 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 17 | 74 | 6/78 | 29.78 |
Malcolm Marshall’s average of under 22 across 17 Tests reflects just how dominant West Indian pace bowling was for Indian batters during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when facing the Caribbean attack was considered the toughest examination in world cricket.
Read more: West Indies Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline
Biggest Wins, Highest and Lowest Totals
India’s largest win margin over West Indies came in 2018 at Rajkot, by an emphatic innings and 272 runs, a scoreline that captured just how far the balance of power had shifted since the days of Caribbean supremacy.
Records Table
| Record | Detail |
| Highest team total | India 649/9 declared, Rajkot |
| Second-highest total | India 644/7 declared, Kanpur |
| Lowest team total | India all out for 75, Delhi |
| Biggest win margin | India, innings & 272 runs, Rajkot 2018 |
| Highest individual score | Rohan Kanhai, 256, Kolkata 1958-59 |
| Best bowling (innings) | Kapil Dev, 9/83, Ahmedabad |
| Best bowling (match) | ND Hirwani, 16/136, Chennai |
| Highest partnership | 344 unbroken, Vengsarkar-Gavaskar, Eden Gardens |
These India vs West Indies Test records illustrate a rivalry of extremes – from crushing Indian totals in the modern era to brutal collapses against pace bowling in earlier decades.
Why India’s Post-2002 Dominance Is Historically Significant
India have gone more than two decades without losing a Test series to West Indies, a streak spanning nine consecutive bilateral series across both home and away conditions. This is not a case of one dominant generation beating a weakened opponent once – it is a sustained reversal that has held through multiple changes in captaincy, personnel, and playing conditions on both sides of this India-West Indies Test rivalry.
The shift traces directly to India’s fast-bowling depth becoming genuinely world-class from the 2010s onward, combined with a West Indian talent pool increasingly drawn toward lucrative T20 leagues rather than red-ball cricket. This structural change in player development, more than any single series result, explains why the India vs WI head-to-head in modern Test cricket looks nothing as it did a generation ago.
The 2025 Series: India’s Most Recent Statement
West Indies toured India in October 2025 for their first red-ball assignment on Indian soil since 2018. India won the opening Test at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium by an innings and 140 runs, with the innings featuring five separate fifty-plus partnerships – a feat India had not managed in 64 years. This result extended India’s unbeaten Test series streak against West Indies to nine straight series wins, reinforcing their status as the dominant side in this historic India vs West Indies Test history.
What This Timeline Means Going Forward
West Indies are scheduled to tour India again between late September and mid-October 2026, continuing the regular rhythm of this historic bilateral fixture. Given the current trajectory of both programs, the West Indies cricket team faces an uphill task rebuilding red-ball depth capable of challenging India’s current core of pace bowlers and batting depth, while India will look to extend a streak that already ranks among the most one-sided sustained stretches between two traditional Test-playing nations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the complete west indies cricket team vs india national cricket team timeline?
It spans 101 Test matches from 1948 to 2025, with West Indies dominant until 2002 and India unbeaten in every series since.
Who leads the India vs West Indies head-to-head in Tests?
West Indies lead 30-24 with 47 draws overall, though India have won every series since 2002.
When did India first win a Test series against West Indies?
India won their first series in 1970/71, played in the Caribbean.
When was West Indies’ last Test series win over India?
West Indies last won a bilateral Test series against India in 2002.
What is India’s biggest Test win over West Indies?
India’s largest win margin was an innings and 272 runs at Rajkot in 2018.
Who has scored the most runs in this rivalry?
Sunil Gavaskar, with 2,749 runs in 27 matches at an average of 65.45.
Who has taken the most wickets in India vs West Indies Tests?
Kapil Dev leads with 89 wickets in 25 matches.
What is the highest team total recorded in this fixture?
India’s 649/9 declared at Rajkot in 2018.
