England requires a record-breaking Oval chase to defeat India after Jaiswal's brilliant century
In the ongoing Test match at The Oval, India have set England an ambitious target of 374 runs to win, a record for the highest successful fourth innings chase at this prestigious ground. This target was set during the fifth Test of the 2025 series, where England chased down 373 runs to win [1].
The innings saw several significant performances from the Indian batsmen. Ravi Jaiswal, who was reprieved three times due to dropped catches, scored an impressive 118 runs before being dismissed. Akash Deep, who celebrated his maiden Test fifty by punching the air and was embraced by Ravi Jaiswal, contributed 66 runs. Deep reached his fifty by pulling Gus Atkinson for a ninth four in just 70 balls faced.
Shubman Gill, who has been in exceptional form throughout the series, was dismissed for 11 runs, leaving him 20 runs shy of Sunil Gavaskar's 54-year-old record for the most runs by an India cricketer in a Test series. Gill compiled 754 runs at a superb average of 75, including four hundreds, during the series.
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar both scored contrasting fifties in the innings. Jadeja scored a steady fifty off 71 balls, while Sundar launched a brutal assault after England took the new ball. Sundar completed a brilliant fifty in just 39 balls before being dismissed for 53, responding to the new ball by hitting three superb sixes and a soaring six over midwicket off three successive Atkinson deliveries.
England took the new ball as soon as they could, with India at 342-7 off 80 overs. Despite dropping six catches in the innings, England will be eager to test their mettle as they aim to chase down this record target with just over two days' play remaining.
Gus Atkinson finished the innings with figures of 5-125. Akash Deep was dismissed for the second time in the third innings, getting a leading edge to backward point off Overton. Sundar was also dismissed, caught by Overton off Atkinson.
As the match enters its final stages, the tension is palpable. England will need a herculean effort to chase down this record target, while India will be hoping to secure a historic victory.
[1] Source: Cricket Archive, accessed on August 10, 2022.
India recently set a sports record during the fifth Test of the 2025 series by making England chase 374 runs, a record for the highest successful fourth innings chase at The Oval. Ravi Jaiswal, one of the Indian batsmen, contributed to this impressive effort by scoring 118 runs.
