Was Pujara's Four, A Bad Omen? - Some Remarkable Parallels Between Two Indian Tests That Ended In A Last Day Washout

The first test between India and England ended in a draw after rain played a spoilsport on the fifth day and no play could take place at Trent Bridge. 

India needed 157 runs on the last day with nine wickets in hand after it restricted England to a lead of 208. 

However, this isn't the first time that India got stuck in the pavilion waiting for the rain to stop on the fifth day to go out and chase a target they could have achieved. 

In 2004, Australia toured India and played a test match in Chennai. The test match saw India dominating till the fourth day. It needed to chase 229 runs on the last day to win, but the final day got washed out, and the match resulted in a draw. 

Sounds Familiar? Both England vs India in 2021 and India vs Australia in 2004 saw quite a few similarities throughout the five days. Let's take a look: 

1) Toss: India lost the toss in both games and fielded first. 

2) First inning lead: India bowled out Australia for 235 and scored 376, taking a lead of 141 runs. Similarly, in India's match against England, the visitors took a first-inning lead of 95 after bowling the hosts out for 183. 

3) Opener Top-Scored: Against Australia, opener Virender Sehwag top-scored with 155 in the first inning. Against England, the opening batter KL Rahul top-scored with 84 runs. 

4) Overtaking: During the match, Shane Warne overtook Muralitharan to, briefly, become the highest wicket-taker in Tests. In 2021, James Anderson overtook Anil Kumble in the list of highest wicket-takers in tests. 

5) Match reviving century: Damien Martyn, in the 2nd inning, scored a century that helped Australia take a decent lead, and give his team a chance to win the test match. In 2021, Joe Root hit a century to give England a sniff of victory. 

6) Last ball four: On the last ball of day 4, both Virender Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara smashed a boundary.