India go in to the fifth and final day of the first Test against England in Chennai needing to make history in order to emerge on the winning side of the match. England have set them a target of 420 to win which, should India manage to pull off, will be the highest ever successful run chase in the history of Test cricket. Given the Chennai pitch has offered up some assistance to spinners and is also offering some uneven bounce, it would be quite the task for them to pull off the win. However, this is a side fresh off a 2-1 series win in Australia and so it would be wise to rule them out of the reckoning just yet.
Here we look back at the five highest successful run chases in the history of Test cricket.
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West Indies vs Australia, St John’s, 2003 – 418/7
The Steve Waugh-led Australia were 3-0 up in the series and in the final Test set the hosts 418 to win. The great Brian Lara sparked the chase with a well-made 60 and then both Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul struck tons to leave their side on the brink of a win going into the final day. Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes knocked off the runs on the final day and the West Indies, finishing on 418/7, pulled off what is still the highest run chase in Test cricket history.
South Africa vs Australia, Perth, 2008 – 414/4
The spark that led to South Africa’s away win in Australia came thanks to a remarkable victory at the WACA in the first Test, when AB de Villiers steered the Proteas to 414/4. Skipper Graeme Smith scored a ton and fifties from Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis put the visitors in with a chance, but only a superb knock of 106* from De Villiers finally got the win in the bag. He came to the crease with South Africa still needing 235 to win but him and JP Duminy did well to get the away side over the line in relatively comfortable fashion.
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India vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 1976 – 406/4
Sunil Gavaskar (102) and Gundappa Viswanath (112) both scored tons as India levelled the series with one more match to play. India’s 406/4 stood as the highest ever successful chase for the next 27 years and it was no mean feat on their part to see off 105 overs of West Indian spin with impressive ease. The loss saw the home team implement a change in selection tactics that set them up for over a decade of dominance – a four-headed pace attack put India to the sword at Kingston in the series decider as West Indies won by 10 wickets.
Australia vs England, Leeds, 1948 – 404/3
Don Bradman, still the man regarded by cricketing purists as the greatest batsman to have ever graced the game, scored an unbeaten 173 as Australia went 3-0 up to win the Ashes at Headingley in a high-scoring Test. Bradman and Arthur Morris (182) put on a partnership of 301 for the second wicket as Australia made easy work of the chase, finishing on 404/3.
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West Indies vs Bangladesh, Chattogram, 2021 – 395/7
The newest entry into this list saw Kyle Mayers become an unlikely hero as an under-strength West Indies pulled off a final-day upset against Bangladesh. Mayers, who wasmaking his Test debut, scored an unbeaten 210*, hitting the winning runs as he managed the tail. A partnership of 216 for the fourth wicket with Nkrumah Bonner (86) brought the chase back on track after the tourists were 59/3 at one point. This was the highest ever successful chase in Asian conditions and saw the 28-year old Mayers become the sixth player to score a double-ton on Test debut.
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