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Stats Analysis

India beat the toss disadvantage

India became the first team to post four totals of 400 or more in a series despite losing the toss four times

Shiva Jayaraman
19-Dec-2016
Virat Kohli looks on at the coin toss, day one, Australia v India, fourth Test, Sydney, January 6, 2015

Virat Kohli has lost the toss four times in this series, but that hasn't stopped his team from making big scores  •  Getty Images

India have posted a total of 759 for 7 in their first innings in Chennai, despite losing the toss. This is the fourth time in the series that they have scored 400 or more after having lost the toss. It is also the first instance in Tests that a team has done this in a series.
Including this series, there have been 23 instances in all when a team has posted totals of 400 or more after losing the toss three or more times in any series. Incidentally, three of the last five such instances have been in series played in India. India themselves had got three such totals in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2012-13, and England had done it when they toured India in 2012-13.
400+ totals after losing toss 3+ times in a series (last five instances)
Team Series Season Venue 400+ Totals
 India  England in India  2016-17  India  4
 South Africa  Sir Vivian Richards Trophy  2014/15  South Africa  3
 India  Border-Gavaskar Trophy  2014/15  Australia  3
 India  Border-Gavaskar Trophy  2012/13  India  3
 England  England in India  2012/13  India  3
Including their first innings in Visakhapatnam - where they won the toss - this is their fifth total of 400 or more in this series. Before India in this series, there were only two instances of teams managing totals of 400-plus in the first innings of each Test of a series of five or more matches. Australia were the team to do it on both occasions: over six matches in the 1989 Ashes in England and against Pakistan at home in a series in 1983-84.
400+ totals in first inns of each Test of a series (5 or more Tests)
Team Series 400+ totals Season
 Australia  Pakistan in Australia  5  1983-84
 Australia  The Ashes  6  1989
 India  England in India  5  2016-17
This is not the first time India are posting a total of 400 or more in each match of a five-Test series. They had done so in the series against New Zealand at home back in 1955-56. That instance, though, had come in India's second innings of the Kolkata Test when they had declared on 438 for 7.
400+ totals in each match of a series (5 or more Tests)
Team Series Season 400+ Totals
 India  England in India  2016-17  5
 Australia  The Ashes  1989  6
 Australia  Pakistan in Australia  1983-84  5
 India  New Zealand in India  1955-56  5

Shiva Jayaraman is a senior stats analyst at ESPNcricinfo.com. @shiva_cricinfo