Boxing Day test match has their own thrill and excitement in cricket. The boxing day test match is played from December 26 to 30 every year. This event is a crowd puller in famous cricketing grounds across the globe, especially at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This year, 4 teams are playing on boxing day. While Australia is facing South Africa at the MCG, Pakistan is facing New Zealand at Karachi.
Let us find out more about the boxing day test match like its origin, the number of matches played by India on this day and much more.
Definition of Boxing Day Test Cricket
For laymen, boxing day does not relate to boxing – the sport anyhow. December 26th is referred to as “Boxing Day”. This day is dedicated to those who remain engaged in their duties on December 25 – Christmas. On boxing day, boxes are presented to such professionals to thank them for their selfless efforts. It is due to this reason, the day after Christmas is called “Boxing Day”. Test matches that commence on this date are called boxing day test matches.
When was the First Boxing Day Test Match Played?
The first boxing day test match was played in the year 1950. The match was played at the MCG between Australia and England. The only time a test match was not played on boxing day was in the year 1989 when Sri Lanka played against Australia in an ODI game.
How Many Boxing Day Tests Have India Played?
India has been a part of the boxing day test match tradition on 9 occasions. The opponents were Australia, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand. India has played Australia 9 times on boxing day, winning 2, drawing 2 and losing 5. They played South Africa 6 times and 1 each against New Zealand and West Indies. The table below contains the details of all the boxing day test matches that included India –
| Year | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 1985 | Australia | MCG | Draw |
| 1987 | West Indies | Kolkata | Draw |
| 1991 | Australia | MCG | Australia won |
| 1992 | South Africa | Port Elizabeth | South Africa won |
| 1996 | South Africa | Durban | South Africa won |
| 1998 | New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand won |
| 1999 | Australia | MCG | Australia won |
| 2003 | Australia | MCG | Australia won |
| 2006 | South Africa | Durban | South Africa won |
| 2007 | Australia | MCG | Australia won |
| 2010 | South Africa | Durban | India won |
| 2011 | Australia | MCG | Australia won |
| 2013 | South Africa | Durban | South Africa won |
| 2014 | Australia | MCG | Draw |
| 2018 | Australia | MCG | India won |
| 2020 | Australia | MCG | India won |
| 2021 | South Africa | Centurion | India won |