What is the highest number of runs chased in the 4th innings at The Oval?

India made a commendable fightback on Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final at The Oval on Friday. They resumed their first innings on 151/5, trailing Australia by 318 runs. India suffered an early blow on Day 3 as KS Bharat was bowled by Scott Boland for 5.

As the keeper-batter walked back to the pavilion, India were in danger of being bowled out cheaply. However, a defiant seventh-wicket stand of 109 between Ajinkya Rahane (89 off 129) and Shardul Thakur (51 off 109) gave the Indian innings a lift.

Rahane missed out on a well-deserved hundred on his Test comeback, while Thakur notched up his third consecutive fifty at The Oval, joining Sir Don Bradman and Allan Border as the only other overseas batters to do so.

Despite the valiant stand, India ended up conceding a lead of 173 as they were bowled out for 296 in their first innings. They started well with the ball. Mohammed Siraj sent back David Warner for 1, while Umesh Yadav accounted for Usman Khawaja (13).

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then dismissed Steve Smith (34) and Travis Head (18). While India fought hard on Day 3, Australia remained on top, having extended their lead to 296.

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India need to create history to win the WTC final

Virat Kohli having a chat with Marnus Labuschagne in the ongoing WTC final at The Oval. (Pic: Getty Images)

If we go by history, India’s wait for that elusive ICC title is likely to continue. Australia’s lead is close to 300 and whatever target they post, India will need to rewrite history to be crowned world Test champions.

The highest fourth innings target ever chased at The Oval is 263. This instance occurred way back in August 1902 when England chased down the total in 66.5 overs with only one wicket in hand.

England had lost half their side for 48, but a superb 104 from Gilbert Jessop and a defiant 58* from George Hirst lifted the hosts to a thrilling win.

There has been only one other instance of a team chasing down a 250-plus total at The Oval. In the fifth Test of the England-West Indies series in 1963, the visitors registered a thumping eight-wicket win over the hosts, chasing a target of 253 as Conrad Hunte scored an unbeaten 108.

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What is India’s highest successful chase at The Oval?

Team India’s highest successful chase at The Oval is 173. Set the target by England during the historic 1971 tour, they finished on 174/6 courtesy of good contributions from skipper Ajit Wadekar (45), Dilip Sardesai (40), Gundappa Viswanath (33) and Farokh Engineer (28*).

India can, however, take heart from the fact that their highest fourth-innings total at the iconic venue is an impressive 429/8. Set a mammoth target of 438, India gave England a real scare as Sunil Gavaskar compiled a magnificent 221, while Chetan Chauhan scored a typically resolute 80.

The opening stand was worth 213. Dilip Vengsarkar also chipped in with 52 at No. 3. At one point in time, India were 366/1 in the chase and seemed set to create history. However, a shocking batting collapse saw them slump to 423/8. In the end, they had to settle for a draw.

India also scored 345 in the fourth innings of the 2018 Oval Test against England, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant smacking hundreds. However, their heroics were in vain as the visitors went down by 118 runs in a chase of 464.

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Shardul Thakur confident of India putting up a fight in the chase

Shardul Thakur scored a record-equaling third consecutive Test fifty at The Oval. (Pic: Getty Images)

While history might be completely against India in the WTC final, all-rounder Shardul Thakur reckons that they are still in the contest.

At the end of the third day’s play, he shared his views on India’s position in the match.

“Cricket is a funny game. You can never say what is the right total, especially in an ICC final. One good partnership and you can chase down 450 or maybe more than that. We saw last year England chased [nearly] 400 here [Birmingham] and they did not lose too many wickets. So that's a positive sign for us," Thakur said.

“Whatever they [Australia] put up on the board, it's too early to make any predictions. We see a lot of times in Test cricket that the game changes within an hour. So yes, we [would] like to be optimistic tomorrow [Saturday] going on the field. And yeah, we'll take it on from there,” he added.

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What total could India be asked to chase at The Oval in the WTC final?

According to Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, the team is not thinking of declaring their second innings as yet. He hinted that the Aussies might bat on to post a huge total and completely put an Indian victory out of the equation.

Starc said about Australia’s game plan:

“I don't know [about declaration] and it's not my decision, but I think we will keep batting for now. We have still got two days to play. The weather's been good and I think it's warmer tomorrow [Saturday]. Hopefully the pitch starts playing a few more tricks but as far as I know it, we are still going to be batting tomorrow.”

Australia will resume their second innings, with Marnus Labuschagne (41*) and Cameron Green (7*). They might be keen to push their lead past the 400-450 mark before asking India to bat unless of course they get bowled out.