Explained: What is follow-on rule in Test Cricket?

Test cricket has been played for nearly 150 years, and there are many facets of the game that keep the essence of the sport alive. The longest format of the game is called the toughest format for its ability to check the endurance of the players. Test cricket is not only taxing physically but also mentally for the five days players are on the field. 

Captains and players have to be on their toes during the entirety of the game in the longest format. One rule that has caught the fancy of many cricket fans is that of the follow-on rule. This particular provision in the game has been seen as a tactical or as a means to show superiority by one team over the other. 

The follow-on rule first came into the game in 1835 to the longest format. The rules back then stated that if a team were bowled out with a deficit of 100 runs and the team batting second was unable to get past the 1st innings score, then they were asked to bat again. 

What do the modern-day follow-on rules in Test cricket say?

By the time the game moved forward in 1894, the deficit needed to avoid the follow-on was 120 runs. Six years later, in 1900, the rules were changed once again, with the teams needing 150 runs to avoid the follow-on in a 3-day game. 100 runs if the game was just 2 days and 75 runs if the game was just for a day. 

The modern rules came into effect later on, where a side batting in the second innings had to be bowled out inside 200 runs for the follow-on to be enforced. If the game is played across 3 or 4 days, the follow-on mark will be 150. In the case a Test match is played for fewer days, then the mark will be 100 runs for a 2-day encounter and 75 for a single-day game. 

For instance, if India has scored 500 in the test match and bowls out its opposition for 300 or less, then they can enforce the follow. Since India leads by 200, they can ask the opposition to bat again to begin the 3rd innings of a game. If the opposition has scored 301 runs and is bowled out, then India cannot enforce the follow-on. Using the same example in a 4-day game, the opposing side would need to score 351 to ensure they don’t get the follow-on. 

Is it mandatory to enforce the follow-on?

The decision to enforce the follow-on rests solely with the captain of the bowling team. If the captain deems his team to have a strategic advantage or be tired, then he can opt to bat again. There have been innumerable occasions where a team didn’t enforce the follow-on and went onto bat again. Sachin Tendulkar famously batted again during a 1999 Test against New Zealand despite enjoying a huge 1st innings lead. 

Has any team won despite being asked to follow-on?

The first occasion when a team won a game despite being asked to follow-on was in 1894, when England beat Australia by 10 runs in Sydney. 87 years later, Ian Botham single-handedly decimated the Australians to register the 2nd occasion the feat was achieved. The 2001 Test match in Kolkata between India and Australia saw the third occasion a team won despite being asked to follow-on.

VVS Laxman’s 281 and Rahul Dravid’s 180 saw India win the game as Harbhajan Singh did the trick with the ball. It was during the same game that Harbhajan became the 1st Indian bowler to claim a hattrick in Test cricket. In 2023, New Zealand’s 1 run win in Wellington made them the 3rd side to achieve the feat and 4th overall in Test cricket.