It’s Boxing Day, 26th December – one of the most anticipated days in a Test cricket calendar and as the tradition goes, it began in Australia when domestic sides Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) met in a thrilling Sheffield Shield match at the MCG from December 26, 1856. The match itself became a timeless match, but resulted in the visitors, in this case, NSW, winning by three wickets. It slowly grew into a tradition, and in 1865, it became an annual fixture between the two states.
IND vs SA Live Score Boxing Day Test Day 1
As per a version in the folklore, it refers to the alms boxes or poor boxes in churches that used to be opened the day after Christmas. Another version of the same folklore believes that the name originates from the boxes of gifts given to servants who had to work on the occasion of Christmas. They were given presents the following day and a day off to spend time with their families.
The first Boxing Day Test match took place between Australia and England in 1950 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It was not until 1980 that the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and the Australian cricket team bagged the rights to organise a Test match every year on Boxing Day at the MCG.
In terms of India’s record in the Boxing Day Tests, India have been part of 17 Boxing Day Test Matches having lost ten of those. They have though won four times – in fact –the last two Boxing Day Test matches have ended in an Indian win.
Interestingly, India have played a Boxing Day Test match at home as well vs West Indies at the Eden Gardens in 1987.
India in Boxing Day Tests
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