Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar lit up India’s second innings with the bat.
Just two balls remained in the day’s final over. England were hoping to finish strong, chasing a massive target with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease. But Mohammad Siraj had other plans—he shattered Crawley’s stumps with a brilliant yorker, ending the day with drama and setting up an intense finish to the Oval Test.
At the end of Day 3 in the series-deciding fifth and final Test for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India have a slight edge. Thanks to Jaiswal’s century, India set England a target of 374 and managed to pick up a crucial wicket. Shubman Gill’s side still leads by 324 runs.
After being bowled out for just 224 in the first innings, India made a strong comeback with 396 in their second innings—driven largely by Jaiswal, who scored a brilliant 118, his sixth Test century. His 164-ball knock featured 14 fours and 2 sixes.
‘Nighthawk’ Akash Deep also made a major impact. Despite being a pacer, he showed real promise with the bat. He notched up his maiden Test fifty, scoring 66 with 12 boundaries. Jadeja added a solid 53 with five fours, and Washington Sundar’s aggressive 53 off 46 balls, including four fours and four sixes, was crucial.
India’s innings could’ve gone further, but Josh Tongue was exceptional with the ball. He claimed his second five-wicket haul in Tests, dismissing key players like KL Rahul, Jaiswal, Jadeja, Sundar, and Siraj.
Resuming on 75/2, India built a solid base through Jaiswal and Akash, who put together a 107-run stand. England missed a big chance early—Crawley dropped Akash at slip off Tongue’s bowling in the eighth over of the day.
Akash, reprieved on 21, went on to frustrate the bowlers, reaching his fifty off 70 balls. He became the first Indian nightwatchman in 14 years to hit a Test fifty. Jamie Overton eventually broke his resistance.
India suffered a blow on the first ball after lunch when Gill was trapped LBW by Gus Atkinson for 11. Gill ended the series with 754 runs, including four centuries—just 20 runs shy of Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record in a single Test series.
Karun Nair failed to make a mark, scoring only 17. Returning to the side after eight years, he totaled just 205 runs in six innings, with a highest score of 57—falling short of expectations.
Jaiswal, steady as ever, reached his century from 127 balls after being dropped twice the previous day. He had also scored a century in the first innings of the series.
His ton helped India achieve a new milestone—12 centuries in a single Test series, equaling the all-time record jointly held by Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa.
After reaching his hundred, Jaiswal had another reprieve but was eventually dismissed by Tongue, caught at backward point off a short ball.
Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel then stitched together a 50-run partnership. Jurel scored 34 with four boundaries before Overton trapped him LBW.
Jadeja, who has been outstanding all series, finished with 53 off 5 boundaries. He has 516 runs in the series, including a century and five fifties. Tongue struck again to remove Jadeja and then got Siraj LBW two balls later. Siraj couldn’t use DRS as India had none left, despite the ball hitting his bat.
Washington Sundar shifted gears with Prasidh Krishna, going on the attack. He smashed Atkinson for two sixes and two fours in back-to-back overs and hammered Tongue for two sixes in the middle over. He reached his fifty in just 39 balls before being dismissed by Tongue, who completed his five-wicket haul.
England have chased bigger targets against India before—like the 378-run chase at Edgbaston three years ago. And they began this one with confidence. However, Crawley’s late dismissal has slightly tilted the pressure back toward India. He departed for 14, while Duckett remains unbeaten on 34 with four boundaries.
Score Summary
- India 1st Innings: 224
- England 1st Innings: 247
- India 2nd Innings: 396 in 88 overs (Jaiswal 118, Akash 66, Jadeja 53, Sundar 53, Tongue 5/125)
- England 2nd Innings: 50/1 in 13.5 overs (Target: 374) – Duckett 34*, Crawley 14, Siraj 1/11
