England are 50-1 chasing a mammoth 374 to wrap up a series win over India after Zak Crawley fell to the final ball of a frantic third day in the final Test at The Kia Oval.
Ben Duckett (34no) and Crawley (14) followed their riotous first-innings opening partnership of 92 inside 13 overs with a half-century stand inside 14 second time around in the evening sunshine.
However, Crawley was then bowled by a searing Mohammed Siraj yorker having backed away from a delivery a short time before, bringing back memories of his third-Test time-wasting at Lord’s.
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Zak Crawley was bowled by Mohammed Siraj from what proved to be the last ball of day three
This would be England’s second-highest successful chase in Tests, slotting between the 378 they peeled off against India at Edgbaston in 2022 and the 371 they knocked off at Headingley in the opening game of this spellbinding series, which they currently lead 2-1.
India had earlier racked up 396 all out in their second innings, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 off 164) profiting from three dropped catches to clinch a sixth Test ton, fourth against England and second of this series after being grassed on 20, 40 and 110, by Harry Brook, Liam Dawson and Duckett respectively.
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India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal clinched his sixth Test hundred and fourth against England, scoring 118 at The Oval
Washington Sundar (53 off 46 balls) then followed his maiden Test ton in the drawn fourth game in Manchester with a six-laden half-century, clearing the ropes four times as he tucked into Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson once England took the second new ball.
Nightwatchman Akash Deep (66 off 94) notched a maiden Test fifty, in which he crunched 12 fours, and was another to benefit from England butterfingers, shelled by Crawley at slip on 21 as he and Jaiswal shared a third-wicket stand of 107.
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Harry Brook, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley all suffered a case of butterfingers as England dropped SIX catches in India’s second innings
Six catches went down overall in the India innings, while England’s leggy and inexperienced bowling attack – one now devoid of injured veteran Chris Woakes due to a shoulder issue that could end his Ashes hopes – bowled too many wayward deliveries.
Washington wallops India to 396 all out
Washington battered short or overpitched offerings from Atkinson and Tongue into the stands as he dominated a 10th-wicket alliance of 39 from 25 balls with Prasidh Krishna (0no) before he spooned into the on-side and was caught by Crawley – despite the England opener colliding with stand-in skipper Ollie Pope.
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Washington Sundar blasted four sixes in his Oval half-century as India made 396 all out in their second innings
That wicket secured Tongue (5-125) his second Test five-for, following his 5-66 on debut against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023.
The Nottinghamshire quick ousted Ravindra Jadeja (53) and Siraj (0) in the same over – caught at slip and lbw respectively – after having Jaiswal pouched at backward point and also nicking off KL Rahul (7) the previous evening.
Jadeja stitched middle-order stands of between 34 and 50 with Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (34) and Washington as he made his sixth fifty-plus score of a series in which he has stood up as a senior player.
Atkinson (3-127), the pick of the England pace unit in this Test, finished with eight wickets in the match, striking the first ball after lunch to trap Shubman Gill (11) lbw as the India captain’s runs tally for the series ended on a whopping 754.
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Gus Atkinson trapped Shubman Gill lbw from the first ball after lunch on Saturday
Atkinson also accounted for Karun Nair (17), while Overton ended Deep’s dizzying innings – the nightwatchman slicing to a diving Atkinson at backward point – and then pinned Jurel leg before after producing a cracking nip-backer with the aging ball.
Washington walloped the new nut before England came within a whisker of surviving India’s new-ball burst.
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Crawley and Ollie Pope collided as the former caught Washington in the leg-side
Duckett was rapped on the glove by a delivery from Krishna but soldiered on and will now be dreaming of replicating his stunning, match-winning 171 in the opening Test at Headingley, while there remains a slender chance England could wheel Woakes out to bat.
India are favourites but you never write this England side off.
Watch day four of the fifth Test between England and India, at The Kia Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Sunday (first ball at 11am) or stream without a contract.
Tongue: I don’t see why England can’t chase these runs down
England seamer Josh Tongue:
“It’s a replay from Headingley. I got asked the same question then so I don’t see why we can’t chase down these runs now. We’re pretty chilled about it. There’s not much overthinking it.
“How we play as a batting unit is very positive, very exciting. With the line-up we’ve got, I can’t see why we can’t give it a good go. It will be a great day of cricket and a great day for us if we get the runs.
“It is doing a bit, a few balls have jumped off a good length, but if you get through the first hour, who knows?”
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Ravindra Jadeja became distracted by Oval spectator who was wearing a red shirt behind the bowler’s arm and wasn’t keen to change it!
India ‘confident’ of final-Test victory
India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal:
“Of course, I think we are quite confident. We just need to focus on our process and keep bowling in the right areas. That’s what we are thinking. We want this, we want some battle in the middle.”
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
