The final match of the five-Test series between India and England is being played at The Oval in London. On Sunday, play had to be stopped early due to rain. By the end of the day, England had scored 339 runs for the loss of six wickets. They now need 35 more runs on the fifth and final day to win the match. At stumps, Jamie Smith was at the crease with 2 runs off 17 balls, while Jamie Overton was yet to open his account.
England had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Batting first, India scored 224 runs, with Karun Nair hitting a half-century. In reply, England scored 247 runs in their first innings, with half-centuries from Zak Crawley (64) and Harry Brook (53), taking a 23-run lead. In their second innings, India made 396 runs thanks to a brilliant century by Yashasvi Jaiswal and fifties from Akash Deep (64), Ravindra Jadeja (53), and Washington Sundar (53). This gave India a massive lead of 373 runs, setting a target of 374 runs for England to win.
Chasing 374, England’s innings was anchored by Harry Brook (111) and Joe Root (105).
Day four began with England at 50 for 1. Ben Duckett was batting on 34 at that time, with captain Ollie Pope joining him. On day three (Saturday), Mohammed Siraj had given India a crucial breakthrough by bowling Zak Crawley on the last ball of the day. Crawley made 14 runs off 36 balls, and his opening stand with Duckett was worth 50 runs.
Starting day four with 324 runs still needed for victory, England lost their second wicket at 82 when Prasidh Krishna dismissed Duckett, who was caught by KL Rahul at slip after scoring 54 runs off 83 balls with six boundaries. Soon after, Siraj struck again, trapping captain Ollie Pope lbw for 27 runs off 34 balls.
With the score at 106 for 3, Joe Root and Harry Brook came together and steadied the innings, putting on a match-saving partnership. Brook went on to score his 10th Test century in just 91 balls and eventually made 111 runs off 98 balls, hitting 14 fours and 2 sixes before getting out. The pair added 195 runs for the fourth wicket, which is England’s second-largest fourth-innings partnership against India. The largest was a 269* stand between Root and Bairstow during the Edgbaston Test in 2022.
Root also completed his 39th Test century, reaching the mark in 101 balls. This was his 13th Test hundred against India and his 24th in home Tests—the most by any player on home soil. Previously, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Mahela Jayawardene had scored 23 home centuries each. Root was eventually dismissed for 105 runs off 152 balls, while Brook departed after scoring 111.