It is always been a tough one to fight back when the follow-on has been enforced on a team in a test match. In such cases losing in a respectful manner itself is a tough task to ask for, Has any team won a test match after enforcing a follow-on? Yes, there are only 3 instances where a team won after enforcing follow-on on them. They are
1. England vs Australia in 1894
Australia added a big total of 586 runs on the scoreboard. When England came out to the middle then they could make only 325 runs and were forced by Australia to play follow-on. In the second inning, England made a strong comeback and added 437 runs and thus giving the target of 177 runs to Australia. Australia was bowled out for 166 runs and England won the game by 10 runs.
2. England vs Australia in 1981
Australia decided to bat first after winning the toss, added 401 runs for 9 wickets, and declared their innings. England was bowled out for 174 runs only. The Australian skipper forced England to play follow-on and they added 356 runs in the 2nd inning. Australia’s innings were demolished at the score of 111 in which their 4 wickets were sent out without making any runs. England won the game by 18 runs.
3. India vs Australia in 2001
While batting first, Australia started well with 100+ runs for the 1st wicket partnership and added 445 runs on the scoreboard. In reply, the Indian batters could not perform well and bowled out at 171 runs only. Australia forced India to play follow-on in the second inning, and then India’s batter gave a strong reply by adding 657 runs in the 2nd inning. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid performed incredibly and added 336 runs in a pair for the 5th wicket in which Laxman added 281 and Dravid contributed 180 runs. This partnership between Dravid and Laxman is still considered one of the best. Australia was bowled out at 212 and India won the match by 171 runs after playing follow-on.
| Winner | Margin | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 10 runs | Australia | Sydney | 1894 |
| England | 18 runs | Australia | Leeds | 1981 |
| India | 171 runs | Australia | Kolkata | 2001 |