How often do India level a home series after losing the first Test? Here's what history told Rishabh Pant

Despite a strong history of recovering from 0-1 deficits in home Tests, India's recent form is troubling, with four losses in six matches.

India’s home aura used to make 0-1 deficits feel like temporary glitches. Eden Gardens has shaken that belief. A chase of 124, a collapse for 93, and suddenly the question isn’t just can India hit back? But how often do they actually do it at home?

Temba Bavuma speaks with Rishabh Pant after his team's victory at the end of the first Test.(AFP)

Over the last five decades, there have been seven home Test series where India lost the opener. In six of those, they avoided a series defeat, winning five series and drawing one, and only once, against New Zealand in 2024, did the slide continue into a full-blown home series loss.

The comeback template

The first example is almost ancient lore now: England 1972-73: India went 0-1 down in Delhi, then hit back in Kolkata and Chennai to win 2-1, with the last two Tests drawn.

Then came the iconic 2001 Australia series - hammered by 10 wickets in Mumbai, India responded with Kolkata 2001 and the Chennai thriller to seal another 2-1 turnaround at home.

From there, the pattern accelerates in the modern era:

• vs South Africa 2009-10: innings defeat in the first Test at Nagpur, then Harbhajan and co demolished SA at Eden; India salvaged a 1-1 draw.
• vs Australia 2016-17: A 333-run humiliation in Pune, followed by wins in Bengaluru and Dharamsala to take the series 2-1.
• vs England 2020-21: Crushed by 227 runs in Chennai, India replied with three straight wins to clinch the series 3-1.
• vs England 2023-24: Stunned by Bazball in Hyderabad, then reeled off victories in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala for a 4-1 scoreline, the first time in 112 years a team won a 5-Test series 4-1 after losing the first.

So, at home since 1972, India have turned a 0-1 deficit into a series win five times and a draw one. Only New Zealand’s 3-0 clean sweep in 2024 stands as the outlier.

What it means for Guwahati

Historically, being 0-1 down in India has usually been the beginning, not the end.

But the context is different now. India have lost four of their last six home Tests, after only three in the entire decade from 2013 to 2023. The Eden defeat wasn’t a freak blip; it followed a 3-0 home mauling by New Zealand and a broader pattern of batting failures on extreme surfaces.

The numbers say India are historically excellent at dragging home series back from the brink. However, the question over Guwahati is brutal and simple: are they still that team, or did New Zealand 2024 mark the moment where India’s comeback muscle finally began to fray?

On Saturday, India won't have their regular skipper, Shubman Gill, to call the shots. It will mark the official Test captaincy of Rishabh Pant. His style of play may narrate a different story, but his press conference, where he talked about how the Barsapara Stadium is historically significant to him, he gave all the indications of being a good student of history.