When was the last time India chased 150-plus in fourth innings of a home Test?
An inspired performance by Ollie Pope saw England not only stage a remarkable comeback but also push India on the backfoot on the fourth morning of the ongoing Hyderabad Test. Spinners were not at their best as Pope marshaled the lower order and galloped along to 196.
India were set a stiff target of 231 and after a good start, they have lost three wickets after lunch. Axar Patel was bumped up the order to counter the threat of the left-arm spinners. Tom Hartley has picked up all the three wickets to fall.
These are rather unfamiliar territories for the Indian side in home conditions where they have been dominant over the last 10 years. The last time India had to chase down a target over 150 was back in 2013 when they chased down 155 against Australia in Delhi to seal the series 4-0.
How India's last 150-plus home chase in Tests panned out
It was a series where the Australian side were marred by plenty of controversies both on and off the field. They struggled to come to terms with pitches that offered a lot of assistance to the spinners. They were competitive in the first innings and stuttered their way to 262, with Peter Siddle being the lone batter to get to 50.
Nathan Lyon then stepped up, and he wrecked the home team with seven wickets as the hosts could only manage 272, creating a sense of parity after the first innings. Australia, without their regular skipper Michael Clarke for this match, had an opportunity to pull away.
But their batters were skittled out by the trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, and Ravindra Jadeja, who combined to pick up nine wickets as Australia were sent packing for 164. Jadeja was the star with a 5-wicket haul, and the target for India was a stiff 155 on a pitch that was getting increasingly difficult to bat on.
Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell started with the new ball, and when the latter knocked over Murali Vijay, there was a glimmer of hope in the Australian camp. However, Cheteshwar Pujara, who opened the innings, showed exactly how to play on a turning track as he motored along to an unbeaten 82 off 92 deliveries. He got good company from Virat Kohli, who was dismissed at 41, and when he had got his side to relative safety.
There was, however, a minor stutter as Nathan Lyon trapped Sachin Tendulkar and a young Ajinkya Rahane for 1 run each. But then MS Dhoni marched in and finished the game off without any more hassles.
This was India's first-ever 4-0 series win in a Test series, and it came after their spinners caused all the strife to the Australian batting order. While Ravindra Jadeja was declared the player of the match, Ravichandran Ashwin, with 29 wickets, was the player of the series.
"Credit goes to everyone; the last one and a half years have not been great for us in Tests, but they showed a lot of character. You need to battle it out. That was the case in this series," captain MS Dhoni said at the end of the match.