History is against India

By Mohandas Menon

**With Sri Lanka setting 264 runs for India to win the second Test at Kandy, this will provide the 67th instance when India was asked to score over 250 runs to win a Test match in the final innings. The summary of such instances, however, does not make a happy reading for India.

**India had won only twice, after being set over 250 runs, in the fourth innings of a Test match. The first was against Australia at the Brabourne Stadium at Bombay when India made 256-8, after being set 254 runs. The current chairman of selectors Chandu Borde (30 not out), who came at number nine, with the help of wicket-keeper Indrajitsinhji (3 not out) took the score from 224- 8. The other contributors were Dilip Sardesai (56) and skipper Nawab of Pataudi jr (53).

**The second instance came on April 12, 1976, when India achieved one of the most remarkable victories in Test cricket. Set to score 403 runs by the West Indies at Port of Spain to win in a minimum of 595 minutes, the visitors reached the target with seven of the mandatory last 20 overs to spare. India's total of 406-4 still remains the highest by any team in the fourth innings to win a Test match. The main scorers were Sunil Gavaskar (102), Mohinder Amarnath (85), Gundappa Viswanath (112) and Brijesh Patel (49 not out).

**Incidentally, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar is the only player who was part of the team on both the occasions.

**Out of the other 64 instances, India had managed to tie once (v Australia at Madras, September 1986), drew 28 times, but had lost 35 Test matches!

**How would it go for India on Saturday?

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Battered England strays into Waugh zone
Next     : Sparks expected at BCCI's working committee meet