Despite playing some of the best cricket seen by a New Zealand test team in Indian conditions, history is still against the Black Caps pulling off a final-day victory in the first test in Kanpur.
In fact, even India have only mustered it once – being the only team to chase down a fourth-innings target higher than 284 in India, when they hunted down 387 to beat England by six wickets in 2008.
Expand that qualification to unsuccessful chases as well, and only six other times has 284 or more been reached in a fourth innings in India – five of them ending in draws, while the sixth was a famous tie against Australia in 1986.
New Zealand's highest fourth-innings total in India is 272-6, when chasing 370 for victory in 2003. After falling to 86-4 and 169-6, Craig McMillan (83 not out off 190 balls) and Nathan Astle (51 not out off 135 balls) opted for the safe approach and earned a credible draw in the opening test in Ahmedabad.
Fifteen times New Zealand have batted in a fourth innings in India – eight games ending in draws, and seven in defeat.
New Zealand have also only won two tests in Asia when batting last – beating Bangladesh in 2008 (chasing 317) and Pakistan in 1969 (chasing 82), and their chance to get their third doesn't come much more difficult.
Record players
Tim Southee took eight wickets against India. Photo / AP
There have been stories written in the past about Kane Williamson's path up the all-time test runscoring rankings, but quietly, it's Tim Southee who is New Zealand's most prominent active player on the all-time lists.
Having snared eight wickets in the first test against India, Southee has moved to 322 test wickets, good for 28th place on the all-time list.
Next on the list are Bob Willis (325) and Allan Donald (330), while Chaminda Vaas and Dennis Lillee (355) make it four players that separate Southee from the second-highest New Zealand test wicket taker of all time, Daniel Vettori, who sits in a share of 22nd with Imran Khan on 362 test scalps.
Southee said after day two that he is driven to keep playing well in his 30s – he turns 33 next month – and with 12 tests scheduled in the next 12 months, a move into the top 20 is a possibility.
Sir Richard Hadlee, former holder of the No 1 spot, is New Zealand's highest representative on the list, in 11th with 431 wickets, while Trent Boult is 37th with 292. Neil Wagner, who will be hoping to take to the field in the second test against India in Mumbai, slots in at 60th with 229 – just four away from New Zealand's fifth-highest test wicket taker, Chris Martin.
On the batting front, Ross Taylor is in 37th with 7575 runs, and can move past Colin Cowdrey if he scores 50 in the second innings.
Williamson is close behind on 7248 runs, and just needs two more to pass Wally Hammond and move into 47th, with Gary Kirsten also in sight.
