London: On the third day of the final Test at The Oval, India posted 396 runs in their second innings, thanks to a brilliant century by Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 runs, 164 balls, 296 minutes, 2 sixes, 14 fours), a gritty knock by nightwatchman Akash Deep (66 runs, 94 balls, 109 minutes, 12 fours), a fluent half-century by Ravindra Jadeja (53 runs, 77 balls, 129 minutes, 5 fours), and an explosive cameo by Washington Sundar (53 runs, 46 balls, 58 minutes, 4 sixes, 4 fours), which echoed across The Oval. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel also chipped in with a useful 34 (46 balls, 55 minutes, 4 fours).
India have now set England a daunting victory target of 374 runs. By stumps on Saturday, England had reached 50 for 1. Zak Crawley (14) was clean bowled by Mohammed Siraj, while Ben Duckett remained unbeaten on 34.
Back in the first Test in June at Leeds, India had set England a 371-run target, which they chased down successfully, thanks to opener Ben Duckett’s 149, and unbeaten knocks from Joe Root (53) and Jamie Smith (44), securing a five-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
India on Top, Can Seal the Win
With only one wicket lost, England still have time on their side — two full days remain. However, the absence of world no.1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah means the Indian bowling attack will face its sternest test yet. Whether they can rise to the occasion in this series-decider will be revealed today.
6 Catches Dropped by England
England’s fielders dropped six catches during India’s second innings. Of these, three chances were gifted to Jaiswal:
- Early in his innings, Jaiswal edged Atkinson, but Brook dropped the catch at second slip.
- Against Josh Tongue, a top edge went to deep fine leg, but the ball burst through Dawson’s hands.
- Facing Overton, a chance from Sudarshan’s edge was spilled by Crawley at third slip.
- Later, Akash Deep got a life when Crawley again dropped a catch in the slips off Tongue.
- A shot by Karun Nair off Overton pierced through the gap between Crawley and Brook in the slips.
- Jaiswal was dropped again at leg gully by Duckett off Overton.
Josh Tongue was England’s standout bowler, taking five wickets.
A Coincidence: Four Bowlers with Names Starting with ‘J’
Interestingly, four of England’s five bowlers (excluding Gus Atkinson) had first names beginning with the letter ‘J’: Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, Jacob Bethell, and Joe Root.
In the first innings, India had scored 224, while England managed 247 in reply.
