India vs England: How many times have teams chased down 350-plus targets in 4th innings at Headingley?

New Delhi: Both India and England will be fancying their chances when they resume the proceedings on Day 5 of the ongoing 1st Test between the two teams at Headingley in Leeds. The game is poised for a thrilling finish as both teams still have a chance to pull off a result despite the rain threat on the final day. While India will need all ten wickets, England need 350 runs on Day 5 to win the 1st Test and go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Opener KL Rahul and vice-captain Rishabh Pant notched up centuries apiece on Day 4 to help India post a formidable total of 364 runs on the board in their second innings, setting up a tricky target of 371 runs for England in their second innings of the Test match. While Rahul top-scored with a composed knock of 137 runs, Pant dominated his way to a brilliant 118 off just 140 deliveries.

India got off to a shaky start on Day 4, losing skipper Shubman Gill cheaply on 8 early in the first session. However, Pant and Rahul combined to share a 195-run stand for the 4th wicket to help India bounce back strongly. The duo batted flawlessly to help India dominate in the first two sessions and set up a daunting target for the hosts.

India bowled six overs during England’s second innings towards the end of Day 4, but the hosts came out unscathed to finish with 21/0, needing just 350 runs to win the match heading into the final day. Opener Zak Crawley remained unbeaten on 12 while Ben Duckett scored 9 not out to help England avoid losing any wickets on Day 4. However, the hosts still have an uphill task at hand as they look to chase down the target of 371 runs on Day 5.

Yes, there have been two instances of teams chasing down a 350-plus target in the 4th innings of a Test match at Headingley, Leeds. Australia were the first team to do so when the Don Bradman-led side chased down 404 in a Test match against hosts England in 1948. That remains the highest run-chase in the 4th innings of a Test match at the venue.

Ben Stokes played a stunning knock to help England chase down 359 runs in the 4th innings of the Headingley Test against Australia in 2019. England have done it once in the past and will be looking for inspiration from their miraculous victory against Australia at the venue in 2019 as they look to get the better of India, this time around.

To England’s advantage, Headingley in Leeds is the only venue where a 350-plus target has been chased down twice in the 4th innings of a Test match. There have been only 13 instances of teams chasing down a 350-plus target successfully in the 4th innings of a Test match in the history of the game, and two of those have come at Headingley, Leeds.