3 highest successful run chases outside Asia by India in Tests

It was a tiring day at office for the Indian bowlers as they failed to bundle out the opposition on Day 3 of the 4th Test match at Southampton. On a dry pitch, India's premier spinner R Ashwin was unable to weave his magic as he bowled 35 overs against a determined English line up. Expecting him to be the trump card for India, the off-spinner disappointed as he could only pick a solitary wicket of Ben Stokes in the entire day.

With a hefty lead of 233 runs at stumps, England have their noses ahead given India will have to bat fourth on a wicket offering assistance to spin. The visitors will be chasing history as they go out to bat tomorrow after picking up the two wickets to clean the tail.

Considering that Indian batsmen faced a horrid time chasing 194 in the first Test, questions loom whether Kohli and his men can pull off a victory to level the series? It will be a matter of patience and grit against a quality attack.

We take a look at 3 of India's highest fourth innings successful run chases outside Asia.

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#3 200 vs New Zealand at Dunedin, Feb 15-20 1968

It was 50 years ago when India, for the very first time chased a target of 200+ outside Asia. Known as a more batsmen-dominated country, it was peculiar to see how Indians faltered in conditions that were meant for their style of batting. However, in that game against New Zealand, Ajit Wadekar was the star who scored runs in both the innings.

Chasing 200 to win, India claimed the target with five wickets in hand. Inspired by a remarkable bowling spell by EAS Prasanna, picking up 6 wickets in his quota of overs in the 3rd innings, India could prevent the Black Caps from going anything big in their 2nd innings. It was the rarest of wins for a side which dominated teams only in its own backyard.

#2 233 vs Australia at Adelaide, Dec 12-16 2003

After being down the mat in the first innings, the Indians came back strongly, riding on Rahul Dravid's jaw-dropping 233 against a dominating Australian side by posting an equally mammoth total of 523 in their first innings. It was all down to the last two innings of the Test match that decided the fate of an incredible cricket game played for the course of five days. Ajit Agarkar blew away the hosts on their home soil to account for six batters in the 2nd innings.

Aussies were all-out for a paltry 196, leaving India to chase down 233 to win the Adelaide Test match. Though the target wasn't too daunting, it was made so against the likes of AJ Bichel, Jason Gillespie and BA Williams. Indians did manage a good start but wickets at regular intervals kept the home side in the game. However, Dravid was hanging at the one end to eventually hit the winning four to help India register a remarkable win against Australia.

#1 406 vs West Indies at Port of Spain, Apr 7-12 1976

It was one of India's golden days in Test cricket when they chased an unfathomable 406 in the fourth innings against one of the all-time great sides of West Indies in 1976 at Port of Spain. Indians were always seen as having a fear against pace bowling and with West Indies having the most fearsome pace attack that the world has ever seen, the fear was only palpable.

The home team saw it as an easy cake walk after leaving the visitors to chase 406 in the last innings. But the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, GR Viswanath and Mohinder Amarnath had some other plans and took the challenge head on. Gavaskar and Viswanath propelled their way to register individual centuries before getting back to the pavilion, However, they had done their job with support from Amarnath to pull off one of India's greatest ever victories on foreign soil.