India’s brilliant pace bowling battery came up trumps yet again for Virat Kohli as they bowled with fire, rolling over the brittle English batting line-up with relative ease on the final day of The Oval Test in London.
Shardul Thakur was among the best performers for the India in the Test which they won comprehensively by 157 runs. Umesh Yadav picked 3 wickets in the second innings while Shardul, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja picked 2 each.
India now lead the five-match series 2-1 with one game to go in Manchester beginning 10 September.
Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah turned up the heat a few notches in the post Lunch session and England’s middle order failed to cope, falling away leaving Joe Root to fight a lone battle.
The England captain soldiered on for 78 deliveries before Shardul Thakur struck a telling blow as the hosts collapsed on the final afternoon, paving the way for a famous win for India at The Oval.
England needed 291 runs on the final day to achieve an improbable win on the final day of the fourth Test and openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns started off on the right note, or so it seemed. A cautious approach got them through the first half hour as Burns (50) completed his half century and right after edged one from Shardul Thakur to Rishabh Pant.
Dawid Malan and Hameed kept India at bay for a short period, adding 20 runs to the cause, before miscommunication led to the southpaw making his way back to the pavilion after being run out for 5.
Root and Hameed, who had also completed his half-century, took England to Lunch with the score at 131/2.
While the first hour of the day didn’t have the fireworks the Indian fans so desired, the opening hour of the second session saw the mood in both camps change very rapidly.
England needed 291 runs on the final day to achieve an improbable win on the final day of the fourth Test and openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns started off on the right note, or so it seemed. A cautious approach got them through the first half hour as Burns (50) completed his half century and right after edged one from Shardul Thakur to Rishabh Pant.
Dawid Malan and Hameed kept India at bay for a short period, adding 20 runs to the cause, before miscommunication led to the southpaw making his way back to the pavilion after being run out for 5.
Root and Hameed, who had also completed his half-century, took England to Lunch with the score at 131/2.
While the first hour of the day didn’t have the fireworks the Indian fans so desired, the opening hour of the second session saw the mood in both camps change very rapidly.
Root was joined by Chris Woakes in the middle as India looked for more wickets, and quickly. The duo absorbed the pressure for about an hour, playing out Bumrah and then looking keeping the others at bay too.
They put on 35 runs for the seventh wicket before Root (36 off 78 deliveries) dragged one on to his stumps from Thakur at the start of the 80th over. The England captain was visibly disappointed as India celebrated and knew they were on final turn before the home stretch.
With Tea fast approaching, India brought on Bumrah, hoping to knock over another before the break. But while Craig Overton and Chris Woakes kept him out, it Umesh Yadav who got the breakthrough.
Woakes looking to keep India out till the break at least, looked to flick Umesh away through the leg side but was caught sharply at short-midwicket for 18 off 47 deliveries. England had lost six wickets for 62 runs in the afternoon session with Bumrah hurting them the most.
After Tea, Overton and Ollie Robinson could only delay the inevitable for a short while. Unhappy about that delay, India took the second new ball and Umesh Yadav beat Overton for pace and hurt the batter on the elbow in the process of knocking over his stumps.
Umesh then put the seal on the win with the wicket of James Anderson for 2 as England were bowled out for 210 and India romped home to a comprehensive win and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
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