Even past records don't favour India

New Delhi: India's highest successful run chase in the fourth innings of a Test, away from home, is when they scored 406 against the West Indies at the Port of Spain in 1975-76.  What India require in the ongoing Test match is another 64. With the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman back in the hut, both, past statistics and current dynamics of the sport do not favour the visitors at Trent Bridge.







Past Test statistics show that if India manage to win the ongoing contest or even move close to the England total, records will have to be updated. This, as India's highest Test total away from home stands at 445 against Australia, in 1977. The team still lost that match. Two years later, the team  scored 429 against New Zealand but the match ended in a draw. In fact, after the '75 success in the West Indies, the highest fourth innings total for a win on foreign soil has been 264 in 2001 and 258 last year, both against Sri Lanka.

Statistically speaking, the chances of India winning at Trent Bridge are extremely dim. The obvious though is that with a torrid bowling spell that has already torn the Indian top-order, a draw too has become very difficult to achieve unless the rest of the Indian batting proves why pundits have  always called cricket an unpredictable sport.