- Sunday, November 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA came back strongly on the fifth day of yet another Test match in the ongoing five-match series against England when they tamed a determined-looking England side on Monday (6) to win the match by 157 runs to take an unassailable 2-1 lead. It was after 14 years that the Asian side ensured that they did not lose a Test series in England. Their last Test series win on England soil came in 2007 when Rahul Dravid’s side won a three-match series 1-0.
India, who saw a late surge with the bat from their lower order on the fourth day (5) of the Oval Test to take a lead of 367 runs, made regular inroads into the batting order of the home team after Rory Burns (50 off 125) and Haseeb Hameed (63 off 193) gave them a solid start. The duo took England to 77 without getting separated, giving their side and the supporters enough reason to hope for a positive fifth day result.
ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah becomes fastest Indian pacer to take 100 Test wickets
Resuming from their overnight score, the openers took England to 100 when Shardul Thakur struck by picking up Burns and soon after, the in-form No.3 batsman Dawid Malan (5 off 33) ran himself out.
Ajinkya Rahane form still not a concern, says India batting coach
Just when Hameed and captain Joe Root (36 off 78) were looking to repair the innings, spinner Ravindra Jadeja castled the opener and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah then removed Ollie Pope (2 off 11) and Jonny Bairstow (zero in four) to leave England reeling at 146 for 5. Jadeja removed Moeen Ali (zero in four) soon and suddenly the England innings looked too fragile to survive the winds. Root and Chris Woakes (18 off 47), who scored a fifty in the first innings, tried to eat up the day but Thakur uprooted Root in the 81st over to make it 182 for 7. Four overs later, Woakes fell to Umesh Yadav, India’s most successful bowler in the first innings, and England went to tea at 193 for 8, requiring to survive another 38 overs to keep the series tied but with just two wickets in hand.
After tea, England managed to cross 200 but Yadav dismissed Craig Overton (10 off 29) and James Anderson (2 off 5) to bowl the Three Lions for 210. He finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in the second innings too with three for 60 and finished with a match haul of six wickets. Bumrah finished with 2 for 27, Thakur 2 for 22 and Jadeja 2 for 50.
Rohit Sharma, who hit 127 in the second innings, was adjudged the man of the match. It was his first overseas ton in red-ball cricket.
The final Test begins at Old Trafford on September 10.
Brief scores: India 191 & 466 beat England 290 and 210 by 157 runs.
