India has won only twice chasing over 250 runs in Tests
Mohandas Menon
With Sri Lanka setting India 264 runs to win the second Test match at Kandy, , this will provide the 67th instance when India were made to score over 250 runs. The summary of such instances, however, does not make a happy reading for India.
India has only won twice after being set over 250 runs in the fourth innings of a Test match. The first was against Australia at the Brabourne stadium, in Bombay, when India made 256-8 after being set 254 runs. On the last day of the match on October 15, 1964, a crowd of 42,000 saw the home team accomplish victory with just two wickets and half an hour to spare.
The current chairman of selectors Chandu Borde (30 not out), batting at number nine, with the help of wicketkeeper Indrajitsinhji (3 not out) took the score from 224-8, while putting on a vital unbeaten partnership of 32 runs. The other contributors were Dilip Sardesai (56) and skipper Nawab of Pataudi jr (53).
The second instance was on April 12, 1976, when India achieved one of Test cricket's most remarkable victories. 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 a part of both the winning teams.
Out of the other 64 instances, India has managed to tie once (v Australia at Madras, September 1986), draw 28 times, but has lost 35 Test matches!
How would it go for India on Saturday?
