Cricket
Who is the Best 4th Innings Batsman in Test Cricket?
Test cricket comes with a unique set of demands, perhaps none more so than batting in the fourth innings. Pitches at the back end of a Test show signs of wear and tear, favouring the spin bowlers who can wreak havoc. However, some batters have shrugged off the challenge and risen to the occasion admirably. They have displayed incredible mental fortitude to haul their country over the line in a successful run chase or dig in deep to salvage a draw. Among the players used for our top batsmen in the fourth innings comparison are Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar. We have taken a methodical approach to analyzing Test cricket’s clutch players. We have blended stats with expert opinions to reach a sensible conclusion on this topic.
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SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the best 4th Innings Batsmen
This evaluation combined a statistical analysis of fourth-innings performances with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking of cricket’s ultimate clutch players. Otherwise known as the ‘SB Market Index’, this bespoke rating system provided balanced and transparent results devoid of bias.
Industry Insights
A curated analysis from the top 10 cricket and sports media sources measures how prominently each player is featured in discussions of the “greatest fourth-innings batsmen of all time”.
| Source | J E Root | S R Tendulkar | G C Smith | A N Cook | S Chanderpaul | R Dravid | Younis Khan | R T Ponting | B C Lara | S M Gavaskar |
| ESPNcricinfo – “Masters of the Fourth Innings” feature | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Wisden – “Greatest Match Winning Innings” list | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cricbuzz – “Analyzing Fourth Innings Averages” | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sky Sports – Cricket’s Ultimate Pressure players | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cricket.com.au – “Fourth Innings Heroes” | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Reddit r/Cricket – “Best 4th Innings Batsman” Poll | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sportskeeda – “Top 5 Batsmen in Successful Run Chases” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Cricketer – “Defining Innings of the Modern Era” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| talkSPORT – “Cricket’s Most Clutch Performers” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total Mentions | 8 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
SB Score
| Player | Inns | NO | Runs | 100s | 50s | Ave | SB Score |
| S M Gavaskar | 33 | 9 | 1398 | 4 | 8 | 58.25 | 1.000 |
| Younis Khan | 40 | 11 | 1465 | 5 | 6 | 50.52 | 0.932 |
| G C Smith | 41 | 11 | 1611 | 4 | 9 | 53.70 | 0.893 |
| R T Ponting | 43 | 14 | 1462 | 4 | 6 | 50.41 | 0.810 |
| J E Root | 53 | 11 | 1848 | 3 | 10 | 44.00 | 0.751 |
| S Chanderpaul | 49 | 11 | 1580 | 2 | 11 | 41.58 | 0.621 |
| S R Tendulkar | 60 | 16 | 1625 | 3 | 7 | 36.93 | 0.620 |
| R Dravid | 56 | 18 | 1552 | 1 | 9 | 40.84 | 0.556 |
| B C Lara | 45 | 5 | 1404 | 2 | 7 | 35.10 | 0.525 |
| A N Cook | 53 | 8 | 1611 | 2 | 9 | 35.80 | 0.518 |
This score is calculated based on three key 4th innings career metrics: Batting Average (50% weightage), Number of Centuries (30% weightage), and Total Runs Scored (20% weightage).
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | S M Gavaskar | 1.000 | 10 | 8.200 |
| 2 | Younis Khan | 0.932 | 10 | 8.186 |
| 3 | G C Smith | 0.893 | 10 | 8.179 |
| 4 | R T Ponting | 0.810 | 9 | 7.362 |
| 5 | J E Root | 0.751 | 8 | 6.550 |
| 6 | S R Tendulkar | 0.620 | 8 | 6.524 |
| 7 | B C Lara | 0.525 | 8 | 6.505 |
| 8 | R Dravid | 0.556 | 7 | 5.711 |
| 9 | S Chanderpaul | 0.621 | 6 | 4.924 |
| 10 | A N Cook | 0.518 | 1 | 0.904 |
The Kings of the Chase: Gavaskar, Younis, and Smith
Sunil Gavaskar’s 4th innings record was fabulous. A phenomenal average of over 58 underpinned this, and aside from immense powers of concentration, he boasted a near-perfect technique. His match-saving double century against England in 1979 at the Oval lived long in the memory, and he topped our list, driven by a superb ‘SB Score’.
Meanwhile, Younis Khan’s match-winning hundreds were something to savour. His ability to sustain a high level of consistency was excellent, and he conjured a magical display against Sri Lanka in 2015, steadying the ship with Pakistan at 13/2 to notch up a sensational 171 not out. Khan won plenty of favour with the media experts judging by his perfect score.
Graeme Smith routinely delivered captain’s knocks, and he was one of the greatest Test run chasers of his day. Known for his colossal performances, his century against Australia in 2008 in a match-winning cause evidenced this. Smith made the top three, and this was backed up by a perfect ‘Industry Insights’ rating.
The Modern Greats Under Pressure: Ponting and Root
As one of the best No.3s in Test cricket, Ricky Ponting’s 4th innings average of over 50 reinforced notions of him being Australia’s greatest batsman. He encompassed Test cricket pressure batting at its finest. The cover drive and pulls were his trademark strokes, and his dominant knock against England in Manchester in the 2005 Ashes series gave the Aussies the most unlikely of draws. Supremely gifted, Ponting produced a strong ‘SB Score’ and ‘Industry Insights’ mark.
Joe Root has been collecting big records, including scoring the most runs in the fourth innings of Test matches (1,848). He has sprinkled his repertoire of shots in a Bazball era for England, and his unbeaten 142 against India represents his best fourth-innings performance. Like Ponting, he received plenty of praise from the media experts.
The Legends in the Fourth: Tendulkar and Lara
A cricket god, Sachin Tendulkar churned out the runs and performed brilliantly in the fourth innings of matches. One of his most memorable displays for India was an unbeaten 136 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999, and he remains Test cricket’s highest run scorer. An undisputed titan, Tendulkar backed up his performances with a strong ‘Industry Insights’ score.
Brian Lara also lays claims to being one of the best players in cricket history, and he produced one of Test cricket’s highest individual scores (400). He relished a fourth innings scrap, and he dragged the West Indies over the line with his unbeaten 153 against Australia in 1999. His legendary status was reflected in his strong ‘SB Score’ and ‘Industry Insights’ rating.
Conclusion on Test Cricket’s Ultimate Test
In summary, our comprehensive model, which focuses on expert opinions and statistical performances, revealed Sunil Gavaskar was the best 4th innings batsman in Test cricket.
He was arguably the ultimate clutch batter, but we can’t ignore the other elite players we’ve discussed. They turned on the style when their countries had their backs to the wall, and they made for box office viewing. They were highly versatile, and their performances were the stuff of legend.
Charles Perrin is a highly experienced sports betting content writer with over six years of working with some of the leading sportsbooks in the UK, including bet365 and William Hill.