India have not followed-on in a Test match since 2011. (AP)
With a race against time, weather and World Test Championship points at stake, India face an uphill battle to salvage some pride and at least four WTC points with a draw from the ongoing third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Brisbane.
Even with rain playing spoilsport for a majority of day three, forcing as many as eight rain breaks in Gabba on Monday, India find themselves on the back-foot after another top-order collapse, leaving them at 51/4 in response to Australia’s first-innings 45.
With only two days left in play and both sides locked in on the race for the WTC final, a win will be pivotal for either side in this Test. With a hefty 395-run lead still in their hand, Australia will fancy their chances to bundle India out early on Tuesday, given that the visitors have only crossed the 200-run mark once in five innings this series. Should they hold a sizable lead by then, Australia will perhaps opt for a bold follow-on call with the weather also likely to hamper days four and five in Brisbane.
India’s come-from-behind attitude will be in the back of the hosts’ mind, with Gabba 2021 and Eden Gardens 2001 high on that charts. But will Cummins and Co. hand the follow-on ignominy, should an opportunity emerge this time?
India’s follow-on question: When was the last time India was asked to follow-on in Test cricet?
Interestingly, India was last forced into a follow-on by the opposition 13 years ago in 2011. During a disastrous England tour that ended in a 4-0 whitewash defeat, India were asked to follow-on in an eventual innings defeat at the Oval.
India’s overall Test record after being asked to follow-on
Overall, India have been asked to follow-on in 33 Test matches. The first instance occurred against England in 1934 in a drawn game at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kolkata would also mark the first instance for India to follow-on in the 21st century, against Ausralia in March 2001. An epic comeback would mean the hosts would go onto flip the scales and register a 171-run victory, making it only the third such result in history.
India have onky managed to salvage a draw on eight occasions while following-on and have lost 24 Tests under such circumstances. In the 21st century, India have followed-on in seven matches, winning one, drawing two and losing four Tests.
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