After India’s dawdling mess in a 193-run chase at Lord’s, former England pacer Steve Harmison attempted to dissect the visitors’ recent fourth-innings ineptness until he dropped the ball somewhere in the middle too. The reason why India weren’t able to see through such chases in the fourth innings, according to Harmison, was the absence of an imposing figure like Virat Kohli, the bona fide chasemaster in the international arena.
“For me, India has to start believing. This is where the likes of Virat Kohli were unbelievable. In a fourth-innings chase, he goes and wins the game comfortably. He would have won that game comfortably at Lord’s,” said Harmison.
Kohli has had his moments in the fourth innings during his time, famously with that valiant 141 in Adelaide on his captaincy debut in 2014. But on occasions where India have crossed the line in the last innings, Kohli has only walked out to bat nine times in his career, scoring 208 runs at 41.60 with a solitary half-century. In whites, it isn’t exactly Kohli that India have missed chasing tall scores in the fourth innings; rather, his No. 4 predecessor, Sachin Tendulkar, who has been part of eight of the 10 instances where India have chased down fourth-innings targets north of 200 in the 21st century.
As the Gabba breach in 2021 entered the history books for the stunning resolve of a young side, it also marked the only account of a 200-plus chase for India in the post-Tendulkar era.
Between 2001 and the year of Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013, India ranked among the better teams in chases over 200 runs. Of the 35 times they were tasked with a 200-plus chase in the fourth innings, India succeeded more often (9) than any other team in the period.
While all of it may not have got to do with the presence of Tendulkar alone, India’s batting maestro did make his presence felt in the eight appearances he made, scoring 444 runs at 88.8 with one century and four fifties. India’s highest fourth-innings chase during the period was marked by a special Tendulkar century in Chennai, his unbeaten 103 taking them past a 387-run target set by England in 2008.
| From Jan 1, 2001 to Nov 16, 2013 | ||||
| In 4th innings | Total 200+ chases | Wins in 200+ chases | Highest target chased | 200+ targets conceded |
| India | 35 | 9 | 387 | 1 |
| Australia | 25 | 5 | 331 | 8 |
| England | 33 | 6 | 315 | 2 |
| South Africa | 27 | 8 | 414 | 5 |
| New Zealand | 26 | 1 | 317 | 8 |
| Sri Lanka | 20 | 1 | 352 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 29 | 3 | 274 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 17 | 1 | 215 | 6 |
| West Indies | 45 | 4 | 418 | 3 |
| Since Nov 17, 2013 (post Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement) | ||||
| In 4th innings | Total 200+ chases | Wins in 200+ chases | Highest target chased | 200+ targets conceded |
| England | 44 | 9 | 378 | 5 |
| Australia | 24 | 4 | 281 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 25 | 4 | 377 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 30 | 4 | 388 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 23 | 3 | 285 | 6 |
| South Africa | 24 | 3 | 282 | 2 |
| West Indies | 41 | 3 | 395 | – |
| India | 22 | 1 | 328 | 4 |
| Bangladesh | 20 | – | – | 3 |
Laggards of the post-Tendulkar age
The 200-plus chases remain among the most arduous tasks in Test cricket across the globe, exemplified by nearly identical data in both periods. Between 2001 and 2013, teams were set a fourth-innings target of above 200 265 times in Test cricket, with only 38 pursuits (14.33 percent) resulting in wins.
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From the immediate setting post Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013, 200-plus targets have been charted 266 times with 31 (11.65) marking outright victories. India’s contribution with a solitary win ranks eighth among the top-nine Test-playing countries in the period. Interestingly, the top seven countries have all marked at least three successful 200+ chases since November 2013, with England leading the charts with 9 wins in 44 attempts.
Moreover, India have also conceded four successful 200-plus chases to oppositions in this phase – twice in England and South Africa each in the last three years – up from only one instance (211 chase by South Africa in Cape Town, 2007) between 2001-13.
India’s collective fourth-innings batting average has slipped from 31.30 in 53 Tests between 2001 and 2013 to a measly 23.46 in the last 11 years, the lowest among all eight teams to have appeared in at least 30 matches.
India have had the stomach for a fight on occasions, scoring 300-plus five times batting fourth, losing twice with margins under 50 runs (against New Zealand and Australia in 2014).
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Harmison was partially correct in urging India to “start believing”, for that seems to be something that England have done a lot more in massive chases under Ben Stokes since 2022. England have been the only team to chase more than 350 thrice (joint-most in history) in the last 11 years. Overall, seven of England’s nine 200-plus chases since 2014 have come since the Bazball takeover, making up 22.5 percent of all such chases across the board.
India may not have a positive shuffle in template if such a situation were to arise this week in Manchester, 35 years after a 17-year-old Tendulkar etched a match-saving fourth-innings ton. Frequented by bad batting collapses and questionable tactics, it goes without saying that India need to rediscover their style in 200-plus chases, 11 years since losing the Tendulkar edge.
