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The 'Cry More Series': Seven controversies that made India and England best of frenemies
When India and England renew acquaintances in the first Test at Headingley on Friday, it will likely take around one session before they all fall out over something or other.
In the recent past it has informally earned the label of the "Cry More Series". But matches between the two countries have been full of antipathy throughout history, and the angst has not always exclusively been between opposing players, either.
The controversies have been many, and here are some of the ones which have helped make the rivalry what it is today.
Sunil Gavaskar's go-slow at the 1975 World Cup
Not all controversies that emerge when England play India have been between the opposing sides. When they played in the first World Cup match at Lord's in 1975, one of India's greatest ever heroes became the subject of disdain for his own team and supporters.
Dennis Amiss struck 137 as England racked up what was the highest ever score in a one-day international: 334-4 in 60 overs.
In reply, India managed 132-3, losing by 202 runs, with Gavaskar's 36 not out off 174 balls including a sole boundary. His teammates fumed, and spectators even invaded the pitch, imploring him to get a wriggle on.
Immediately after the game, it was stated Gavaskar had thought the target 'unobtainable', so treated it as a practice instead.
'It was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen,' GS Ramchand, the India team manager, was quoted as saying.
Gavaskar's reasoning was not universally believed, with many speculating it was a protest over some internal dispute or other. Years later, the man himself claimed he had just been in bad nick.
Vaselinegate, 1976-77 Test series in India
John Lever, England's left-arm seamer, had a great debut Test. At Delhi, he swung the ball miles, and took 10 wickets in the match as India were routed by an innings.
In a later Test in Chennai, at the suggestion of the England physio, Lever was wearing a gauze across his forehead in a bid to stop sweat going into his eyes.
When he discarded it, the umpire picked it up and discovered the gauze was smeared with Vaseline. The use of Vaseline on eyebrows was a ruse commonly used by sportspeople, mainly boxers and footballers, to deal with the sweat issue.
But the umpire thought there was more to it and accused the bowler of ball tampering. Lever went unpunished, and England won the series easily.
The jellybean incident, 2007 Test series
Yes, jellybeans. Who would have thought the little, inoffensive capsules of joy could cause a diplomatic incident?
When Zaheer Khan came out to bat in the Trent Bridge Test of 2007, some of the sweets had been liberally sprinkled in his way. It incensed Zaheer, and by consequence, his team.
One of the England fielders must have been the culprit. Somehow Matt Prior – the wicketkeeper whose big gloves made accessing his pockets tricky - became the subject of ire.
It might have been because of his general chirpiness behind the stumps. Reportedly, at one point he said to Sachin Tendulkar: 'I drive a Porsche, what do you drive?' Well, presumably he has pilots to drive his Jetstream, Matt.
Prior denied his part. 'I said I didn't know what happened, Zaheer said something else, and the next day the 'Jellybean Affair' was everywhere,' Prior later said.
'For the rest of the tour, I was public enemy No 1, sworn at left, right and centre by India's players when I went out to bat, knowing I would be chastised if I reacted.'
Storm in a tea break, Trent Bridge Test, 2011
On the stroke of tea on the third day, Ian Bell left his ground to walk off with batting partner Eoin Morgan, assuming a four had been scored in the course of some clumsy fielding by Praveen Kumar.
The fielder wasn't sure himself and tossed the ball back to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, who flipped the bails off in any case.
A review showed the ball hadn't hit the boundary rope, meaning India had been fully within their rights to run out Bell.
The crowd didn't agree, and saw the Indians off the field with a chorus of boos, and even some chants of 'cheats'.
Some desperate diplomacy in the intermission by the England captain, Andrew Strauss, and coach Andy Flower led to Dhoni recalling Bell during the break.
'Captain Cool' promptly received a warm ovation from the crowd, as well as the opposition players, as the sides headed back out for the resumption.
James Anderson v Ravindra Jadeja, Trent Bridge Test, 2014
What is it with Trent Bridge? After the 'Jellybean Affair' and the 'Storm in a Teabreak', the 2014 Test in Nottingham was perhaps the ugliest incident yet between the sides.
Just before lunch on day two, Ravindra Jadeja survived a caught-behind appeal off James Anderson. Words were exchanged as they walked off then something happened in the corridor on the way back to the dressing rooms.
What exactly? That was never decisively proven. India requested CCTV footage to prove their claim that Anderson had shoved Jadeja against a wall. It was not available.
It went to a disciplinary hearing that relied on verbal evidence from other players, plus one steward. The independent arbiter said the whole thing was unsatisfactory, given the respective testimonies were 'hopelessly biased', and the issue drifted away.
Charlie Dean v Deepti Sharma, Lord's ODI, 2022
Ah, the pesky run-out-at-the-non-striker's-end, spirit of cricket debate.
Charlie Dean was run out while backing up by the bowler, Deepti Sharma, at the end of England's unsuccessful run-chase in an ODI at Lord's in 2022.
Dean was upset at the time, but had the wherewithal to go straight and shake hands with all the Indian players. She also noted shortly after that she will be careful to stay in her crease in future.
The fallout did get ugly when Heather Knight, England's injured captain, said Sharma's claims that India had warned Dean were lies.
The episode had a happy denouement eventually, though, when Dean and Sharma subsequently became mates on the same side in franchise cricket.
The 'Concussion Sub', Pune T20I, 2025
Earlier this year, England's white-ball cricketers were left fuming when fast bowler Harshit Rana was permitted as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, the batting all-rounder.
Rana claimed three wickets to help India to a 15-run win in the T20 international in Pune, and clinch the series.
Concussion subs are supposed to be 'like for like' and are at the discretion of the match referee, in this case Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler.
'Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball, or Harshit has really improved his batting,' England's Jos Buttler said.
'There was no consultation [with us]. That's something I was thinking as I came out to bat: who is Harshit on for? They said he is a concussion replacement, which I obviously disagreed with."
Ahead of the next match, Buttler quipped at the toss that the left-over players in England's squad were all impact substitutes.
