England encountered another astounding day of adversity in the 5th Test, as India retaliated.
After two eventful days of cricket, the fifth Test between India and England at The Oval is poised for a nail-biting finale. As Day 4 came to a close, England were chasing a target of 374 runs with 4 wickets in hand, needing just 35 more runs to win the match and secure the series.
India's bowlers, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, staged a strong fightback on Day 4, taking multiple wickets and restricting the scoring. This impressive performance turned the momentum in India's favour, making the match finely balanced going into the last day.
England's chase was challenged, and the match is now poised heading into the later stages. The home team had started their fourth innings strongly, with batsmen Joe Root and Harry Brook building a solid partnership. However, key dismissals, including Root (29) and Harry Brook (53) by Mohammed Siraj, have put the pressure back on the English batsmen.
England's pace bowler Gus Atkinson, who took five wickets in his first Test since May, dismissed India for 224, setting the stage for an exciting chase. India's openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal (51) and KL Rahul (7), erased England's lead, but Rahul was dismissed by Josh Tongue.
Ben Duckett (43) and Jaiswal continued to score quickly, taking India to 75-2, 52 runs ahead. However, Duckett was caught behind reversing, and India closed the day on 75-3.
The match is expected to continue with good weather forecasted for Saturday. The series remains undecided, with India needing to take 4 wickets and England needing 35 more runs to win the match and the series.
Key moments from Day 4 include Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson being dismissed by Krishna in the same session, while Sai Sudharsan (11) and Karun Nair (57) were dismissed by Atkinson and Washington Sundar (26) was caught.
As the final day approaches, both teams will be eager to clinch victory and secure a series win. The Oval is set for an exciting conclusion to what has been a closely contested Test series.
[1] Crawley and Ollie Pope were dismissed, leaving England at 136-3
[2] Jacob Bethell was also bowled lbw, this time by Mohammed Siraj
[3] England's pace bowler Gus Atkinson took five wickets in his first Test since May, dismissing India for 224
[4] After Day 2 of the final Test between India and England at The Oval, England were chasing a target of 374 runs and had made significant progress on their fourth innings, with batsmen Joe Root and Harry Brook building a strong partnership
[1] The dismissals of Crawley and Ollie Pope left England struggling at 136-3, still facing a challenging target in the Test match.
[2] The innovative bowling of Mohammed Siraj claimed another wicket when he bowled out Jacob Bethell, leaving England in a delicate position.
[3] The highlight of the match so far has been England's paceman Gus Atkinson, who took five wickets in his first Test since May, helping dismiss India for 224 and setting up an intriguing chase.
[4] On Day 2 of the final Test, England had shown promising signs as Joe Root and Harry Brook built a resilient partnership during their fourth innings, aiming to chase the daunting target of 374 runs set by India.
