India choke yet again

Chasing a victory target of 383 in the fourth innings of the third and final Test in Bangalore, India suffered a 168-run defeat.

If we take a look at India's performances in the fourth innings of a Test, we will find that out of the 120 instances that India batted fourth, they successfully chased the fourth innings target 30 times. And on 46 occasions they have been bundled out before reaching the target. On 43 occasions the match has ended in a draw and on one occasion it was a historic tie.

A deeper analysis reveals a very startling fact. India have put up a commendable show only when the target has been below 200. Out of 34 instances when India chased a fourth innings target of less than 200, they came out triumphant on 26. The match ended in a draw on 7 occasions. The solitary loss was against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1996-97, when chasing a victory target of 119, India were bundled out for a paltry 81.

However, when the target is more than 200, the going gets tough for India. Of the 86 such instances, only 4 chases have resulted in wins against 45 losses and 36 draws.

In fact, India have won only once while chasing a target of 300-plus out of 55 such instances, losing 32 and drawing 21.

Break-up of India's performance in the fourth innings of a Test:

Recent instances of India losing a Test after chasing in the fourth innings: