This stat might just knock the wind out of you.
Since Sachin Tendulkar hung up his boots in 2013, India has successfully chased a 150+ target in Test cricket only twice. That’s right — out of 26 attempts, just 2 wins. The rest? A staggering 24 failures, broken down into 7 draws and 17 crushing defeats. And among the top 8 Test-playing nations, India has the worst record in this regard. That’s not a blip. That’s a full-blown crisis.
The two exceptions — Brisbane 2021 and Ranchi 2024 — now feel like rare miracles rather than signs of progress. Because the broader picture? It’s grim.
And before you chalk up the latest collapse at Lord’s to just “one bad day,” pause. Lord’s was not an anomaly. It was just the latest entry in a long and growing list of failed 4th innings chases over the past 12 years.
Here are just a few haunting examples:
- 2018, Birmingham: Target 193. All out for 162.
- 2015, Galle: Needed 176. Bowled out for 112.
- 2018, Cape Town: Chasing 208. Collapsed for 135.
- 2024, Rajkot (home game!): Target 231. Folded for 202.
Each of these matches follows the same script — promising starts, sudden collapses, and the inevitable post-match autopsies.
Worse still? Under Virat Kohli — the captain credited with redefining India’s Test identity — India never managed to chase a fourth innings target of over 150. Zero wins. That’s a damning stat for a team that prides itself on resilience and fight.
So, the next time you see India chasing anything over 150 in the fourth innings, don’t get too comfortable. Don’t assume it’s in the bag. Because if history has taught us anything, it’s this: when India is chasing in the final innings, we often end up chasing hope… and walking straight into heartbreak.
