Under grey skies at The Oval, a final day filled with tension and nerves was played out. India’s fast bowler Siraj was India’s man-of-the-match, taking out Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton before inflicting damage upon Chris Woakes who came out wearing a sling on his shoulder before walking out to bat later.
Match Summary
| Team | 1st Innings | 2nd Innings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 224 | 396 | 620 |
| England | 247 | 367 | 614 |
Result: India won by 6 runs
Player of the Match: Mohammed Siraj (Cricbuzz)
Day 1
One of the greatest Test battles ever witnessed has come to an end, but not before two exceptional teams produced one of cricket’s great contests in history. An incredible summer’s drama combined with unparalleled cricketing mastery made this Test an unforgettable spectacle that made all three judges’ jaws drop!
England took an early lead through Root and Rahul, with Duckett scoring an unrepeatable century as England took control. Washington Sundar’s outstanding bowling brought India back into contention before an exciting finish resulted in a tie – leaving everyone satisfied.
India are in danger of falling apart at 212-6 with only 112 runs between them and India’s opponents, but Nair’s resilience and Sundar’s composure have kept India competitive enough.
Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue made early inroads against India with Atkinson trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw and Woakes forcing KL Rahul to play on. But Indian batting line-up’s frailties were exposed, giving hope to Karun Nair’s unbroken partnership with Sundar for India.
An India batsman runs a single after missing an overthrown full toss from Woakes that would have cleared leg stump, yet replays show otherwise. Replays show it would have cleared leg stump had the throw been straighter – an invaluable single for India and a devastating blow for England – leaving Woakes grimacing as he leaves the field in pain, knowing this series will have been his greatest challenge to date.
Day 2
The second day at The Oval displayed all of the vagaries of Test cricket perfectly. England’s standout partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett seemed poised for victory until India’s bowlers found their rhythm after lunch – led by Mohammed Siraj who took four wickets in his second spell to change a seemingly lost game around.
Siraj is the cornerstone of this India side and proved why bringing him back into attack after an uneven first session was wise decision. Starting with an in-ducker that caught Ollie Pope at slips, and again during post-lunch over when Jacob Bethell miscued a pull shot to be trapped leg before; KL Rahul also fell during that over but with no need for review being required.
Akash Deep comes on to replace Siraj and immediately makes an impactful statement by edging one behind for a single and then chipping another short ball towards mid-on, where Liam Dawson could only tip it over the rope. Umpires have begun calling for covers as darkness approaches but there’s still plenty of time left for India to exert pressure against England.
Deep Jaiswal began his nightwatchman stint by chipping his first ball for four. Unfortunately, Zak Crawley dropped him at slip, much to Deep’s displeasure, before Crawley later hooked Tongue for six. Still unbeaten on 51 runs as India’s innings leader with some patient batting he will have plenty of opportunities before play ends to increase that total further.
Day 3
After an ineffective first session, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have staged a significant improvement in the second. By batted sensibly and carefully while evading pressure created by Indian pacers, these pair kept India at bay successfully while scoring some boundaries themselves – although much more work still lies ahead for these pair.
Duckett strikes an explosive four off Siraj’s full delivery outside off, which marks England’s 50-run partnership and gives them some breathing room against a difficult target.
Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran have provided themselves with more security at the crease, performing admirably in their brief time together. Both players have contributed steadily, giving themselves enough chances to finish off this game successfully.
After Tea, Ollie Pope introduces Joe Root again for their first session since their break. Jacob Bethell begins before Ollie Pope brings back in Joe Root.
Root makes an encouraging start, striking three maiden overs before Jadeja and Curran get involved with some friendly banter between runs. Jadeja clips Tongue for two runs before edgeing him back towards the keeper for yet another.
Yashasvi Jaiswal earned himself a standing ovation after scoring an exceptional 118 off 164 balls to achieve his third century of the series; and may still go one further with this Test match.
Day 4
Mohammed Siraj played an outstanding role as India defeated England by six wickets on an emotional final morning at The Oval. The fast bowler tore through England’s defenses to help reach India’s target of 374 and secure a 2-2 series draw for an unforgettable comeback victory.
On the final morning of this series, England needed just 35 runs to secure an historic fourth consecutive Test victory and secure their historical streak. But thanks to Joe Root and Harry Brook’s superb cricket performances, their hopes didn’t slip away too easily.
Due to injuries, England were reduced to seven players for this match and still managed a second 100-run partnership between Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue. But their difficulties deepened further when Tongue was dismissed leg before wicket and Chris Woakes came out with one arm in a sling after dislocating his shoulder during play.
England were eventually bowled out for 367 and lost the series 3-2, yet Siraj was the hero, taking five wickets during England’s innings and setting himself on course to achieving his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket history.
Siraj appeared to have trapped Root on his pads with an appeal, which was turned down and Gill did not take advantage of a DRS review as replays proved that it missed the stumps. On the next ball however, Root got another lifeline when Siraj overstepped with another straight ball; taking one run for single. Siraj then shared a smile, possibly signalling an end of their verbal spat; India scored five wides in this over!
Day 5
The final Test at Oval delivered an exciting feast that showcased drama, emotion and chaos. England made an early statement by amassing an impressive score on an otherwise placid pitch in their opening innings – thanks to Root’s century and Rahul’s fifty – before India responded with their own storm with Karun Nair’s 50 and Washington Sundar’s pair of wicket-taking bursts that reduced England’s lead by 92 runs in their second innings.
England needed just 35 runs on a damp morning to win, but Mohammed Siraj, the star of the show, quickly squashed any hopes of an English victory by bowling Jamie Overton and then penetrating Gus Atkinson’s defenses to leave him on 10.
But Atkinson wasn’t finished yet: On a ball that swung away from him, Atkinson slogged-swept and missed a gaping hole – narrowly missing KL Rahul in the slip cordon for two runs off this one stroke!
And then came Jadeja’s brilliant fielding save. A brilliant dive by him at deep midwicket prevented a hat-trick, and Atkinson batted one knee while Chris Woakes played some painful shots from non-striker’s end. Atkinson needed 21 runs off 21 balls.
But Atkinson was outshone by Woakes who hit a desperate slog sweep that crashed into his pads, leading the umpire to give him out LBW after an unsuccessful review attempt. Tension mounted as Atkinson returned to the dugout while Woakes came out with his dislocated shoulder under his sweater in a sling – signalling an exciting series draw and fulfilling England fans’ hopes that something was done about their game against Australia.