India’s Fourth Inning Failures: A Trend which needs Attention

Day 5 of the Lord’s test brought victory to England over a stubborn India. The home team won by 22 runs and has taken a lead in the 5-match series by 2-1. With a target of just 192, the match could have gone to India. However, England bowled out the visitors for 170. People said that the fourth-inning curse had struck India again. India has past horrors of chasing a fourth inning target in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.

At first, the match seemed an easy win for India. England came back into the game after India lost 4 wickets in the first 18 overs. At that point, India stood at a low score of 58/4. It was absolute cinema as England claimed three wickets in the last 30 minutes of Day 4.

Also read: Shubman Gill vs Zak Crawley: Tensions Rise at Lord’s Test

On Day 5, Archer ripped Rishabh Pant’s off stump out of the ground, and Stokes had KL Rahul lbw on review for 39. Archer then came back and sent Washington Sundar back to the pavilion on a duck. Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy displayed defiance after that but Chris Woakes broke the partnership by bagging Reddy’s wicket.

India were 112-8 when Jadeja was joined by number 10 Jasprit Bumrah. They were together for almost 22 overs before Stokes got Bumrah. Finally, Shoaib Bashir, who has an injured finger on his non-bowling hand, claimed the wicket of Mohammed Siraj. Then he set off on a delirious celebration.  Ravindra Jadeja was the top scorer and stayed unbeaten on 61 in the end.

Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer picked up three wickets each in the second innings to help England win the game. Skipper Ben Stokes was the player of the match.

This loss adds to a series of matches. India failed to chase an easy target set by the opposite side. They also failed to put up a resilient score on the board. Since 2019, teams in men’s Test cricket have been set a target under 200 in 57 instances. Remarkably, only two of those chases have ended in failure, and both belong to India.

India vs New Zealand, 2024: chasing 147

India usually dominated over New Zealand at home. In December 2024, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the visiting team struggled. They could only put up a target of 147 on the board. But this turned into a challenge for India still. The team, inexplicably, was bowled out for 121 and lost the match by 25 runs. New Zealand won the series 3-0.

India’s fourth-innings stumble is a common feature of both test losses- with England and with New Zealand. Head coach Gautam Gambhir needs to help the team regroup. He must change gears and strategies. The team should bounce back stronger.

India vs England, 2024: Chasing 231

In Hyderabad, the home team was chasing a score of just 231. The team folded at 202 and lost the match by 28 runs. Post match, skipper Rohit Sharma said, “Hard to look at one or two things. We didn’t bat well enough to get to that score. 20-30 runs anything is possible.” Even though India won the series, it failed to chase a target they could have gotten. This added to its list of fourth inning stumbles.

India vs Sri Lanka, 2024: First ODI Series Lost in 27 years

Another painful loss for India in recent years was the ODI series with Sri Lanka in 2024. India lost their first bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka since 1997. They lost by 110 runs in the third ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium. This took place in Colombo on Wednesday, August 7. India began chasing a 249-run target in the third ODI. They were reduced to 101/8. They were eventually bundled out for 138 in 26.1 overs as the hosts sealed a 2-0 win.

The first match was a tie and Sri Lanka secured the next two matches.

India vs Australia, 2020: India’s Lowest Test Score

India’s lowest team score in Tests is 36 runs. They were bowled out for the meagre score during the 2020 Adelaide Test against Australia. Even though the team had an advantage in the first innings, the second innings were a disaster for India. Not a single batsman from India could reach double digits with Mayank Agarwal‘s 9 being the highest score.

When collapses become a pattern, it is time for some course correction. India’s faltering batting lineup needs a bit of introspection. Fans will be looking for better wins and records to celebrate.

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