When you have set a target of 399 with Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in your ranks and that too in India - surely this is as safe as houses. But against an England side with no fear of losing? It adds to the worry for any team. Surely these conditions are different to where they have smothered those big targets in the fourth innings but is it wise to count them out? MS Dhoni's 'definitely not' reminds me here.
England have chased down targets eight out of ten times since they found the association of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes joining hands for cricket as entertaining as the daily operas. Precisely since June 1, 2022. England's thinking reflects their on-field results. They don't like doing it steadily but in a firing way that sends the spectators in awe. They have chased targets over 250 five times in those eight successful attempts and in those eight run-chases, only once did their fourth innings' run rate come down below 4 an over. This includes their highest-successful chase in Test cricket, which came under the Stokes-McCullum association in 2022 in that rescheduled Test when they gunned down 378.
James Anderson believes. England believe they can do it one more time. "We got sat down by the coach last night and he said if India get 600 ahead we're going to try and chase it down. That is exactly what we're going to do," the veteran Anderson said after Day 3. Mind games? Yes, can be said that way but have they not earned the right to say that? We can hardly disagree.
What's more, he said can also be put under the same bracket of 'mind games'. "I think the nerves were there to see today, the way they batted. I think they didn't know how many was enough. They were quite cautious, even when they had a big lead," the speedster added.
Are they favourites to do so this time around too?
Definitely not favourites but in the hunt to do it surely. India's domination at home cannot be underestimated either and Anderson should and would know that. Even though they don't have their match-winning spinners in the form of Ravindra Jadeja, India surely can deny England of that glory.
Who can forget what Jasprit Bumrah did on day 2 with his impeccable skills of reverse swing that was a sight to behold. What Ashwin has to offer in his wily armoury. But they would hope that Bumrah would get support from others too. The pitch surely does not have demons in there as of day 3 but the odd ones are staying low, turning more and India would hope for a few to do the job for them. England would need to pull off something more spectacular than they did till now but India need to be wary to keep their hegemony at home well and truly up.
