England's 319-run win sets new record

A team winning a Test after trailing in the first innings, like Andrew Strauss's side did at Trent Bridge, is not an uncommon occurrence. It's happened 194 times. England's 319-run annihilation of India in Nottingham, however, was the largest such victory in terms of runs. In their honour, this week's column is on teams that won Tests by the biggest run and wicket margins after conceding a first-innings lead.

The mark Strauss's team bettered had been set in 1926, by Percy Chapman's England. Chapman was leading England for the first time, in a timeless Test at The Oval, the fifth and final one of the Ashes level at 0-0. England were dismissed for 280 in the first innings, after which Australia took a lead of 22. Australia had been 122 for 6 at one stage but the lower order rallied. When England resumed their second innings on 49 for 0 on the third day, overnight rain had made for hard batting conditions. Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, however, scored centuries that set Australia a target of 415. Harold Larwood and the 49-year old Wilfred Rhodes then took seven wickets between then to shoot out Australia for 125.

Five of India's largest victories after conceding a first-innings lead appear in our table and four of them were against Australia, the other against West Indies. The first win was at Kanpur's Green Park in 1959, when India wiped out a deficit of 67, set Richie Benaud's team a target of 225 and then bowled them out for 105. It was India's maiden Test victory against Australia. Twenty years later, India beat Australia again in Kanpur, by 153 runs, after conceding a first-innings lead of 33.

The next took nearly another 20 years, occurring in Chennai in 1998. Trailing by 71 in the first innings, Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 155 led India to 418 for 4 and they declared on the fourth evening, setting Australia a target of 348 in a little more than a day. India's spin trio - Anil Kumble, Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan - took nine wickets among them to bowl Australia out for 168. Three years later, at Eden Gardens in 2001, India famously wiped out a deficit of 274 during the follow-on, set Australia 384 and bowled them out for 212.

Before the Trent Bridge thrashing, India's two largest defeats after taking a first-innings lead were also against Australia. In Chennai in 1964, India were beaten by 139 runs by Bob Simpson's team after they had led by 65 in the first innings. The second instance - a 122-run defeat after India were 69 ahead - occurred in the controversy-ridden SCG Test in 2008.

Only twice has a team, after conceding a first-innings lead, chased a target and won by ten wickets. Australia did it at Bourda, Guyana, in 1973. After skittling West Indies for 109 in their second innings, Australia were chasing only 135. The openers Keith Stackpole and Ian Redpath finished the job in 43 overs. Australia did it again, during the Ashes Test at the Gabba in 1990. No team had made more than 200 in the first three innings. England were dismissed for 194 and 114, Australia for 152. While chasing a target of 157, however, Australia did not lose a wicket, with openers Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh securing the victory on the third day.

Two teams have lost Tests after declaring both their innings in the match, and they both appear in the following table. Gary Sobers was the first captain to do so. West Indies had ended their first innings on 526 for 7 against England at Port of Spain in 1968, and after taking a lead of 122, they declared their second on 92 for 2. England were left with a target of 215 and they achieved it in 52.4 overs with seven wickets in hand. Graeme Smith was the second captain. He declared both of South Africa's innings in Ricky Ponting's 100th Test, setting Australia a target of 287 in 76 overs. Ponting's unbeaten 143 off 159 balls, his second century of the match, ensured Australia needed only 60.3 overs.