2 August 2025 at Kennington Oval, London
India regained the momentum on a dramatic third day of the fifth Test at The Oval, which at one stage appeared to be turning back England’s way after a brief attempt at an afternoon fightback. The visitors were perched at 304 for 6, 281 in front, at tea with no problems as opener Yashasvi Jaiswal having cvripled 100. The English put up a bit of a fight, however.
Morning Calm to Afternoon Crush
India, who resumed on 66-2, were in a formidable position post-lunch with nightwatchman Akash Deep and Yashasvi Jaiswal already motoring into the 80s putting on a new testament worth 107. Deep’s gritty half century, his maiden in Tests and a first-class best, and in doing so, they have also put heaps of points on the board for India.
England fight Back
But just as it appeared to have settled, England created the momentum. Just 20 shy of Sunil Gavaskar’s most runs in a Test series as an Indian, the agonising fall of Shubman Gill began with the very first ball he faced after lunch, with Gus Atkinson bowling him.
The next man in, Karun Nair, was also dismissed by Atkinson during a watchful period on a deck that was slowly beginning to roll. As with India, England briefly thought they had Ravindra Jadeja, but he survived an LBW review.
Jaiswal Takes Control
When India batted, Jaiswal was steady, but beautiful and destructive too, anchoring the innings while at the crease. His sixth (second of the series) Test century arrived with precision — 82 of his first 100 running between the wicket were behind square, not the spot for schmoozing runs but very effective. But Josh Tongue ended his fluent innings of 118 and with it a glorious knock.
Read Also: Siraj’s Magic Spell To Sparks India for Fightback After England’s Opening Blitz
Fielding Frustrations and Late Wickets
Four slip catches had already gone down for England before Zak Crawley dropped a fifth — there would be a sixth — but the spread of a sunlit morning and a tighter second-wicket stand had helped to at least slightly limit the damage. Nonetheless, they finished the session on a positive note picking up wickets towards the end via persistent bowling. Meanwhile, England’s horrible slip catching overcame the visitors’ fightback in the afternoon session as another opportunity went begging with Zak Crawley once again dropping a chance to go sixth of the innings. However, they rebounded beautifully, taking some late wickets simply by returning to the basics.
Team IND vs ENG Scorecard
India: 224 & 304/6 (Jaiswal 118; Atkinson 3/99)
England: 247 Lead: 281 runs
