Archive · 15 Aug 2026
India begins 600th Test on 80th Independence Day in Galle
Cricket is a sport, and a Test match is a very old and special kind of cricket game.
India's cricket team is about to play its 600th Test match ever.
That's a huge number — only two other countries, England and Australia, have played that many.
The big game will be in a city called Galle, in Sri Lanka.
It starts on India's Independence Day, a special holiday when India celebrates becoming a free country.
The player leading India's team is Shubman Gill.
India played its very first Test match way back in 1932, a long time ago.
Winning a Test match took even longer — India had to wait 20 years for its first win.
That first victory happened in 1952 in Madras, and the captain was Vijay Hazare.
So this 600th Test is a big milestone for Indian cricket.
India will play its landmark 600th Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle, starting Saturday on the country's 80th Independence Day.
Shubman Gill will lead India in what is the team's first Test tour of Sri Lanka in nine years.
India becomes only the third team to reach 600 Test appearances, after England (1,097) and Australia (883).
India played its first-ever Test in June 1932 against England at Lord's, losing by 158 runs.
India's first Test victory came after 25 Tests and 20 years: an innings-and-six-run win over England in Madras under Vijay Hazare on February 10, 1952.
- Who
- India's cricket team, led by captain Shubman Gill, will face Sri Lanka; the match also recalls Vijay Hazare, who captained India to its first Test win.
- What
- India plays its landmark 600th Test match.
- When
- Beginning on Saturday, India's 80th Independence Day; India's first-ever Test was played in June 1932 and its first win came on February 10, 1952.
- Where
- Galle, Sri Lanka; historically, India's first Test was at Lord's and its first win came in Madras.
- Why
- The match celebrates India reaching 600 Test appearances, making it only the third team to do so, and marks India's first Test tour of Sri Lanka in nine years.
- Fixture
- India vs Sri Lanka — 600th Test match
- Venue
- Galle, Sri Lanka
- Captain
- Shubman Gill
- Start date
- Saturday, India's 80th Independence Day
- Teams with 600+ Tests
- India (600), England (1,097), Australia (883)
- First Test
- June 1932, vs England at Lord's (lost by 158 runs)
- First Test win
- February 10, 1952, vs England in Madras (win by an innings and six runs, under Vijay Hazare)
- Tour fact
- India's first Test tour of Sri Lanka in nine years