Overall it was the 269th instance of a side enforcing the follow-on in Test cricket. England have imposed this ignominy on most number of occasions on the opponents -91, followed by Australia (66), West Indies (30) and India (25).
England, however, have also been at the receiving end on most number of occasions – 51 times, followed by Australia and New Zealand (39 apiece), South Africa (37) and India (28).
Australia are the only country to lose a Test after asking opposition to follow-on. They lost by 10 runs at Sydney in 1894-95 and at Leeds by 18 runs in 1981 – both times to England and then to India at Kolkata in 2000-01 by 171 runs.
Coming back to India, there is a great disparity in India’s performance at home and abroad wrt enforcing the follow-on. At home India have enforced the follow-on 18 times, winning 12 and drawing 6. In seven instances India have won 3 and drawn 3.The break-up of AWAY instances - two in England (at The Oval in 1990 and Leeds in 2002), one in West Indies (at Kingston in 1970-71), one in Australia (at Sydney in 1985-86), one in Pakistan (at Multan in 2003-04) and one in Bangladesh (at Chittagong in 2004-05).
Out of 24 previous instances of enforcing the follow-on, India managed a lead of 300-plus five times (winning four and drawing one), between 250 and 300 five times (winning four and drawing one) and less than 250 fourteen times (winning seven and drawing seven). 8 wins in 10 games where India enforced the follow-on after gaining a lead of 250 is a high success rate by any yardstick.
The two draws managed by the opposition despite India getting a first innings lead of 250 or more came at Delhi in 1978-79 when India did not have sufficient time at their disposal to dismiss the West Indies second time in the match (more than seven hours was lost due to rain) and at the Oval when England fought hard to score 477-4 in a high scoring match. On all other eight occasions India did not even need to bat again in the match and won quite comfortably by innings margin.
With Chris Gayle- top-scorer in three innings for West Indies in this series – already back in the pavilion and two days to go in the Test on a pitch of variable bounce, it will need a miraculous innings from Lara or some divine help for West Indies to earn a draw from here onwards.
