Highest 4th innings chase in Cape Town: South Africa will have to chase the third-highest Test score at Newlands in order to win this match.
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South Africa, who had sealed a third-highest run-chase in Johannesburg in the second Test match against India, will have to do the exact same if they are to win the ongoing third Test in Cape Town.
With India scoring 198/10 in 67.3 overs in the second innings on Day 3, South Africa need to score 212 runs to win their second match in a row. With more than two days remaining in the match, a result is on the cards for both this match and series.
Had it not been for India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant’s fourth Test century, the visitors would have put forward a below par target for none of their other batters created an impact in this innings.
Pant, who scored 100* (139) with the help of six fours and four sixes, has become the first-ever wicket-keeper to score away Test centuries in England, Australia and South Africa. Readers must note that all four of Pant’s Test centuries have come in different continents.
Highest 4th innings chase in Cape Town Tests
As far as the highest fourth innings run-chase in Cape Town is concerned, the record currently lies with Australia who had sealed a 334-run chase at the Newlands a couple of decades ago.
| Team | Runs | Overs | Year | Opposition |
| Australia | 334/6 | 79.1 | 2002 | South Africa |
| South Africa | 236/2 | 50.2 | 2011 | Australia |
| South Africa | 211/5 | 64.1 | 2007 | India |
| South Africa | 186/3 | 35.2 | 2008 | West Indies |
| South Africa | 182/6 | 43.1 | 2013 | Pakistan |
Highest 4th innings successful run chase
The current record for highest 4th innings successful run chase in Test cricket lies with West Indies, who had sealed a 418-run target against Australia in Antigua (also in 2002). The second-highest 4th innings successful run chase in Test cricket had come 14 years ago when South Africa had chased down a 414-run target in Perth.
South Africa’s highest-ever fourth-innings score at home is a monumental 450/7 in 136 overs in a 458-run chase against India in Johannesburg in 2013. Below are the highest fourth innings totals at the Newlands:
| Team | Runs | Overs | Year | Opposition |
| West Indies | 354/5 | 100 | 2004 | South Africa |
| South Africa | 335 | 142.2 | 1962 | New Zealand |
| Australia | 334/6 | 79.1 | 2002 | South Africa |
| Sri Lanka | 306 | 95.3 | 1998 | South Africa |
| England | 304 | 123.4 | 2005 | South Africa |
