India’s Historic Fourth-Innings Chases: A Tale of Triumph and Tribulation
Chasing targets exceeding 300 runs in the fourth innings of a Test match has been a daunting task for Team India on home soil. In 26 such instances, India has managed to pull off only one successful chase: a memorable 387 against England in Chennai in 2008.
That historic victory was orchestrated by Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 103, along with aggressive contributions from Virender Sehwag (83 off 68 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (85*). MS Dhoni, India’s captain at the time, guided his side to a remarkable win, with Sehwag earning the Man of the Match award for his blazing knock.
Despite their home dominance, India has often struggled with high fourth-innings chases. The team has lost 14 of these 26 chases and managed to draw nine times, with one match ending in a tie.
No team has chased more than 345 runs against New Zealand in Tests, a record set by the West Indies in Auckland in 1969. In the ongoing three-match Test series against New Zealand, India found themselves in a challenging position in the second Test in Pune.
After dismissing New Zealand for 259, India struggled with the bat, bowled out for 156 to concede a 103-run lead. New Zealand’s second-innings total of 255 left India chasing 359 for victory in Pune.
With the series already at 0-1 in New Zealand’s favor, India faced an uphill battle to level the series. The outcome of the second Test will have a significant impact on the fate of the series and India’s hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
