Team India secured a thrilling 6-run victory at The Oval Test to draw the 5-match test series of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy with a 2-2 scoreline. Thanks to the fiery performances of the pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna (4/126 in 27 overs) in the second innings, who guided the visitors to escape from the jaws of defeat.
However, Siraj deserves special credit for his match-winning 5-wicket haul in the second innings (5/104 in 30.1 overs). While Akash Deep didn’t contribute much with the ball, his 66-run knock as a nightwatchman turned out to be one of the game-changing moments for India.
Although India’s winless streak in test series continues on English soil, a draw outcome proved to be much better than facing a loss to the hosts.
Here is a glimpse of how India overcame all their obstacles in the fifth test to pull off a victory by a narrow margin despite the centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root that threatened their winning chances.
India’s Subpar Batting Performance in the First Innings
On Day 01, the in-form batters struggled against England’s aggressive pace bowling attack on a grassy pitch. However, Karun Nair found his form by scoring a crucial 57-run knock from 109 balls (including 8 fours) that guided his team score a 200+ total in the first innings.
A 5-fer from Gus Atkinson (5/33 in 21.4 overs) and Josh Tongue’s 3/57 in 16 overs wrapped India’s first innings total to just 224 in 69.4 overs.
England’s 23-Run Lead After First Innings
Mohammed Siraj (4/86 in 16.2 overs) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62 in 16 overs) restricted England’s first innings total to 247 in 51.2 overs, thereby allowing them to take a lead by just 23 runs.
The hosts had a positive start to their innings, riding on the performance of their three key batters, namely:
- Zak Crawley: 64 runs from 57 balls (including 14 fours) at a strike rate of 112.28.
- Harry Brook: 53 runs from 64 balls (including 5 fours and 1 six) at a strike rate of 82.81.
- Ben Duckett: 43 runs from 38 balls (including 5 fours and 2 sixes) at a strike rate of 113.16.
However, the lack of contributions from the lower order turned out to be a boon for India’s bowling attack, which consisted of just three pacers.
India Sets a 374-Run Target Against England
A strong batting performance in the second innings enhanced India’s total to 396 in 88 overs and set a challenging target of 374 against England after overcoming the 23-run deficit.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a 118-run knock from 164 balls (including 14 fours and 2 sixes), maintained a 107-run partnership with the nightwatchman Akash Deep.
However, it is to be noted that Jaiswal survived dropped catches not just once or twice but thrice, when he was on 20, 40, and 110.
The half-centuries from these three Indian batters propelled their team to a 350+ total:
- Akash Deep: 66 runs from 94 balls (including 12 fours) at a strike rate of 70.21.
- Ravindra Jadeja: 53 runs from 77 balls (including 5 fours) at a strike rate of 68.83.
- Washington Sundar: 53 runs from 46 balls (including 4 fours and 4 sixes) at a strike rate of 115.22.
Josh Tongue’s 5-wicket haul (5/125 in 30 overs), added with Gus Atkinson’s 3/127 in 27 overs and Jamie Overton’s 2/98 in 22 overs, wasn’t enough to control India’s explosive batting line-up.
Ben Duckett Sets the Tempo For England in A High-Pressure Run Chase
England opener Ben Duckett gave the much-needed start for his team by scoring 54 runs from 83 balls (including 6 fours).
A Threatening 195-Partnership Between Root and Brook
Following the dismissal of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, a 195-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook ripped apart the Indian bowling attack.
On Day 04, Mohammed Siraj was completely heartbroken as he made a blunder with a simple catch against Harry Brook’s mistimed pull shot when he was on 19.
Siraj overstepped the boundary ropes despite taking a clean catch in the first delivery of the 35th over bowled by Prasidh Krishna. Later, Brook shifted gears by smashing 18 runs in the same over and accelerated the momentum in England’s favor.
Root scored a composed 105-run knock from 152 balls (including 12 fours) at a strike rate of 69.08, maintaining the flow of runs for England. But, Brook exhibited a dynamic performance by scoring 111 runs from 98 balls (including 14 fours and 2 sixes) that accelerated his team closer to the required target.
Brook’s Dismissal: A Crucial Breakthrough for India
At 301/3 in the 62nd over, England seemed to wrap up the game on Day 04 itself as they required to score another 73 runs with 7 wickets in hand before the tea break. But, Brook’s mistimed shot in the same over was bowled by Akash Deep, allowing Mohammed Siraj to take a simple catch, which was indeed the game-turning point for India.
Mohammed Siraj’s Heroic Performance on Day 05: A 5-Wicket Haul
After dismissing Zak Crawley (14 runs) and Ollie Pope (27 runs), Mohammed Siraj wasn’t able to grab any wickets on Day 04 as his confidence levels dropped after dropping Harry Brook’s catch.
On Day 05, England required 35 runs to win the series, while India had a tough challenge to grab another 4 wickets to conclude the series on a draw. This is where Siraj stepped into action and claimed the wickets of Jamie Smith (2 runs) and Jamie Overton (9 runs).
In the first delivery of the 85th over, Siraj nailed a yorker to dismiss the last man, Gus Atkinson (17 runs), who failed to smash the ball across the line. As the ball struck the off-stumps, India claimed a heart-throbbing victory by just 6 runs following Atkinson’s dismissal.