India becomes the third nation to play 600 Test matches when it takes to the field for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, August 15.
It is the third nation to achieve this feat after England (1097 Tests) and Australia (883 Tests).
Across the prior 599 Tests, it has won 186, lost 188, and drawn 224 with a win-loss ratio of 0.989 and a win percentage of 31.13. It has the fifth-most Test wins overall behind Australia (426), England (405), South Africa (191), and West Indies (187).
Most Test matches played by country
England — 1097
Australia — 883 (including ongoing Test against Bangladesh)
India — 600 (including ongoing Test against Sri Lanka)
West Indies — 596
New Zealand — 487
India’s first Test came in 1932 against England at Lord’s with a team captained by CK Nayudu. The gap between the first and 100th Tests was 35 years, and the subsequent centuries took 15 and 14 years respectively. Each of the last three sets of 100 Tests have come in 10 years.
India played its 500th Test against New Zealand in Kanpur in 2016, winning by 197 runs.
Milestone Tests for India
1st Test – England vs India, Lord’s (1932) – England won by 158 runs
100th Test – England vs India, Birmingham (1967) – England won by 132 runs
200th Test – Pakistan vs India, Lahore (1982) – Draw
300th Test – India vs South Africa, Ahmedabad (1996) – India won by 64 runs
400th Test – West Indies vs India, Kingston (2006) – India won by 49 runs
500th Test – India vs New Zealand, Kanpur (2016) – India won by 197 runs
600th Test – Sri Lanka vs India, Galle (2026)
Published on Aug 15, 2026
