England faces monumental task to chase down 399 in Vizag Test, aims to shatter records

India set England a daunting target of 399 runs in the Vizag Test match, guided by Shubman Gill's gritty century on the third day. As the hosts declared at 255 in the final session, England now stares at a record-breaking chase to secure a 2-0 lead in the series.

If England manages to achieve the Herculean feat, it will mark the highest-ever successful chase on Indian soil, surpassing the current record of 387 runs set in Chennai back in 2008. Only five times in the history of Test cricket has a score of 250+ been chased on Indian grounds, with the hosts successfully accomplishing the feat four out of those five times. The only exception dates back to 1987 when West Indies emerged victorious in India.

Shattering another potential record, England aims to inflict back-to-back Test losses on India at home, a feat not witnessed since Alastair Cook's England achieved it in 2012. The same series saw England start with a loss and eventually hand a historic series defeat to the hosts.

In the previous Test, England had set a 231-run target for India, capitalizing on a slow turner at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, the hosts failed to chase it down. Now, with the Vizag track showing minimal signs of assisting spin, England faces a formidable challenge, albeit on a pitch that exhibits variable bounce, causing trouble for batsmen.

As the Test enters its final two days, England, having put up 67 for the loss of 1 wicket at the end of Day 3, looks to Zak Crawley and Rehan Ahmed to lead the charge against the Indian bowling attack, while keeping an eye on making history with an epic chase in Vizag.