IND v ENG 2021: What happened the last time when India scored 500 runs in their second innings in England?
The third Test between India and England at Headingley is moving into an interesting juncture as we move on to the fourth day of the Test.
India are on 215/2 in their second innings. They still trail by 139 runs due to the disastrous outing with the bat on Day 1 that saw their first innings get wrapped up for just 78 runs.
Rohit Sharma's half-century and the partnership between Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have rekindled the hopes of Indian fans at this juncture. India are still far behind in the game and have got plenty of work to do.
The visitors will need to set a target north of 150 runs to have any chance in this match. This would mean that India will have to make at least 500 runs in their second innings.
A total of 500 runs seems quite far from where they are now, but the chances of that happening cannot be eliminated. At this point, let us take a look at the last time when India scored 500 runs in their second innings in England.
The last time India scored 500 runs in their second innings in England was in 1967
India have scored over 500 runs in their second innings in England only once in the entire history of Test cricket. This happened during the summer of 1967.
The Indian team led by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi went up against the England side captained by Brian Close at this very same ground – Headingly – in the first Test of the series.
After winning the toss and batting first, England put up a mammoth 550/4 on the board. The total was fueled by a double century from Geoff Boycott and a century from Basil D’Oliveira.
India's first essay got wrapped up for a meager 164 runs with only three batters reaching double figures. Skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi top-scored with 64.
Brian Close duly asked India to follow on. What ensued was a valiant comeback. Farokh Engineer and Ajit Wadekar built a vital partnership of 168 runs for the second wicket, with the batters scoring half-centuries.
Arguably the most enthralling knock of the series was to follow as skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi punished the England bowlers with his vintage drives and lofted shots on the way to 148. Over the course of his innings, he built a century stand with Hanumant Singh and a half-century stand with Erapalli Prasanna.
On the back of these knocks, India put on 510 runs in their second innings, setting a target of 125 runs for England.
However, it was hardly enough to contain the formidable England batting line-up. They hardly broke a sweat while reaching the target and won the match by six wickets.
Shall we see a similar result in this Test?
The fact that India have achieved such a mammoth total in their second innings only once in England clearly shows how tough it will be for India to repeat the feat.
However, we have seen stranger things happen on the field of cricket. And if India can get to a lead of 150 runs, it will definitely present an interesting battle on the final day.