Highest Run Chase by India in Test Cricket

Test Cricket: India is arguably one of the best teams in red-ball cricket, both at home and away. Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India topped the chart of top teams ranked in Test cricket for six successive years, and currently they are ranked at No. 2. What makes India the best team is their consistency, irrespective of the conditions or grounds.

The Indian team has a number of records when it comes to Test cricket. The most incredible record that India has is that they have won the match by following on by the biggest margin. However, in this article we will discuss the highest run-chases for the Men in Blue in the longest format.

3. India (329/7) against Australia at The Gabba on 15th January 2021

A true cricket lover can never forget this moment when India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second time in a row, coming down under. This was, and will remain, one of the most iconic run-chases in the history of test cricket. After getting all-out for 36 runs in the second innings of the first match, the team was down and out. For different reasons, all the senior players were not available. But the young Indian team totally surprised everyone when they beat Australia at their fortress and ended their 32-year winning streak at the Gabba.

Australia set a target of 328 runs to chase on the final day of the Test match. Despite losing Rohit Sharma early, India didn’t back down. Shubman Gill (91 runs) gave India a solid start. Then Cheteshwar Pujara (56 off 211) insured that India would not go down. In the end, a heroic innings from Rishabh Pant (89* off 138 balls) helped India to write history and win the series 2-1. The Men in Blue registered their third highest run-chase.

2. India (387/4) against England at MA Chidambaram Stadium on December 11th, 2008

It was the first match of the series at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, against England. The English team batted first and scored 316 runs in their first innings, with Andrew Strauss (123) scoring a century. India struggled in their first innings and got all out for 241 runs, with only MS Dhoni (53) reaching a half-century. In the second innings, England once again crossed the 300-run mark. With the help of centuries from Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, they declared at 311/9. Strauss struck his second century of the match and scored 108 in the second innings, while Andrew Strauss made 108 runs.

India were set to chase a big target of 387 runs in the fourth innings. Many predicted England’s win after the poor show from India in the first innings. But both Indian openers came with some other plans. Especially Virender Sehwag who played a blistering innings of 83 off 68 balls. Gautam Gambhir also scored 66 runs to give a perfect start. Then with an unbeaten century from Sachin Tendulkar (103*) and a half-century from Yuvraj Singh (89*) , India registered their second highest chase. They made 387/4 in 98.3 overs to win the game. 

1. India (406/4) against the West Indies on April 7th, 1976 in Test cricket

The most successful run-chase for India and, overall, the third highest, came on April 7th, 1976. It was a match between the West Indies and India at Port-of-Spain. Batting first, the West Indies made 359 in their first innings, with a century from Viv Richards (177). India struggled and got all out for 228 runs, giving the Caribbean team a lead of 131 runs in the first innings.

Coming out to bat, the West Indies declared at 271/6, giving India a target of 402 runs to chase. It was a mountain to climb for the Indian team against a lethal bowling attack. But a century from Sunil Gavaskar (102) and Gundappa Viswanath (112*) helped India to chase down the highest target of 406/4 in 147 overs. This is still the biggest run-chase for India in Test cricket history.

List of Highest Run Chase in Test Cricket by India