The England cricket team holds the record for the highest run chase against India in Tests.
Led by talismanic captain Ben Stokes, England chased down 378 against India during the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham in 2022.
Chasing a mammoth score of 378 in the fourth innings of the Edgbaston Test, the hosts rode on unbeaten twin hundreds from former captain Joe Root (142 off 173 balls) and middle-order batter Jonny Bairstow (114 off 145 balls) to chase down the target with seven wickets in hand. England’s incredible run chase meant the five-match Test series ended level at 2-2.
Interestingly, two centurion batters remained unbeaten at the end of a successful run chase for the first time in Test cricket history during the 2022 Edgbaston Test.
It was England’s highest successful run chase in Tests, breaking the previous record of 359 against arch-rivals Australia in the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley in Leeds.
Meanwhile, England also broke the record of the highest run chase by any team against India in Test cricket. The mark was previously held by Bob Simpson’s Australian team for 45 long years.
In 1977, the Australian cricket team chased down 339 in Perth to register the highest run chase against India in Tests at the time.
Tony Mann’s 105 off 165 balls and Peter Toohey’s 83 off 140 balls helped Australia chase down the huge target of 339 with two wickets in hand. Australia clinched the five-match Test series 3-2.
West Indies cricket team holds the record for the third-highest run chase against India in Tests.
During the West Indies’ tour of India in 1987, the visitors chased down 276 at Feroz Shah Kotla (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi.
Chasing a target of 276 in the fourth innings, West Indies rode on captain Vivian Richards’ unbeaten 109 and Gus Logie’s 46 to secure an impressive five-wicket win against India. West Indies won the three-match Test series 1-0.
South Africa cricket team and New Zealand complete the top five list.
Chasing a target of 240 in the fourth innings of the Johannesburg Test in 2022, captain Dean Elgar’s unbeaten 96 and Rassie van der Dussen’s 40 powered South Africa to a seven-wicket victory against a strong Indian side. South Africa clinched the three-match Test series 2-1.
On the other hand, the New Zealand cricket team chased down 213 in Wellington in 1998, which is currently the fifth-highest run chase against India in Tests.
Craig McMillan’s unbeaten 74 and Chris Cairns’ 61 helped the Kiwis chase down the target with four wickets in hand. The run chase helped New Zealand beat India 1-0 in the three-match Test series.
Highest run chases against India in Tests
| Target | By | Venue | Year |
| 378 | England | Edgbaston | 2022 |
| 339 | Australia | Perth | 1977 |
| 276 | West Indies | Delhi | 1987 |
| 240 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 2022 |
| 213 | New Zealand | Wellington | 1998 |
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Featured photo: Lindsey Parnaby / AFP
