The first Test match between England and India at Leeds is set for a thrilling finish on Tuesday, with England needing another 350 runs for victory on the fifth and final day at Headingley.
India's lower-order collapse gave England a fighting chance of pulling off a thrilling win, with the hosts 21/0 in their second innings at the close of play on day four on Monday, after being set a stiff 371 for victory.
Shubman Gill, in his first Test as India captain, will have a massive task on his hands as England's aggressive batting line-up is not likely to hold back and will certainly have a go at the target on Day 5. But it won't be an easy task on a pitch offering some uneven bounce against India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was too hot to handle as he picked up 5/83 in the first innings.
While defending totals of 350 or more in 59 Tests, India have won 42, with their sole defeat coming against England at Edgbaston in 2022.
England's Bazball tactics worked to perfection as centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root helped the hosts chase down 378 for victory in the rescheduled fifth Test three years ago.
There have been only 13 successful instances of teams chasing down 350-plus totals in the fourth innings in Tests.
Interestingly, Headingley is the only venue where it has happened twice. England enjoyed one of their finest moments in Test cricket when they chased down 358 for victory against Australia during the Ashes Test in 2019. Ben Stokes' sensational knock of 135, which included 11 fours and eight sixes in 219 balls, saw England clinch an unbelievable one-wicket victory.
England looked set to be heading defeat after being reduced to 286/9 before Stokes led a stunning fightback as he put on an unbroken stand of 76 runs for the final wicket with No 11 Jack Leach, who played the supporting role to perfection as he made just one from 17 balls.
Nearly seven decades ago, Donald Bradman's unbeaten 173 and Arthur Morris' splendid knock of 182 had helped Australia chase down a mammoth 404 for victory as they registered an emphatic victory seven-wicket victory in 1948.
The current England batting line-up will be feeling confident of their chances, as except for Jasprit Bumrah, the other Indian bowlers didn't look that effective in the first innings.
The weather forecast is not too encouraging, with rain predicted through the day at Leeds on Tuesday.
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