Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 118 and half-centuries from Akash Deep (66), Ravindra Jadeja (53) and Washington Sundar (53) helped India set a stiff 374-run target against England, on the third day of the fifth Test.
India reach 396 runs in their second innings in the final session, and also set a 374-run target for England in the fifth and final Test. Meanwhile, Josh Tongue removed Sundar to complete his five-wicket haul. Earlier, Tongue struck twice in the same over to get Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj, with the former having bagged a half-century. Meanwhile, Jamie Overton struck in the ongoing final session, removing Dhruv Jurel for 34 runs off 46 balls. Jadeja and Jurel earlier took India to 304/6 at Tea, and their lead stood 281 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal received a standing ovation as he walked off after Josh Tongue removed him in the second session. The India opener was at his brilliant best, getting a ton and also cementing the momentum for his side. He lost his wicket after smacking 118 off 164 balls. England began the second session in counter-attack mode as Gus Atkinson removed Shubman Gill (11) in the first delivery after Lunch. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal is closing in on his ton, and also served a brilliant Zak Crawley reminded to England in the final over of the first session. Just before the final delivery, the opener began to hobble on the ground, complaining about cramps and also holding his hamstring. It annoyed England and even the umpire was unimpressed as Jaiswal returned to the non-striker's end for the final ball before Lunch. Meanwhile, Akash Deep got his maiden Test fifty in the first session on Day 3, of the ongoing fifth and final Test. The nightwatchman punched the air in celebration, as Gill and the other Indian cricketers stood up to give him a standing ovation. He lost his wicket to Jamie Overton, departing for 66 off 94 balls. Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir smiled, showing that he was impressed. India reached 189/3 at Lunch, leading by 166 runs.
India began the first session from 75/2 and have already crossed 100 runs, with nightwatchman Akash Deep looking resolute. Before Day 3, India's lead stood at 52 runs, and even that has gone past 100. Moving day in the decisive fifth and final Test match of this rollercoaster Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and as has always been the case with this series, it is here and with all to fight for. The teams are once again neck-and-neck, neither side too disappointed with where they are, but aware that the game can slip out of their grasp quickly at this crucial juncture of the match.
With KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan back in the hut, it comes down to the future of Indian cricket, its two best batters over recent years, as Yashasvi Jaiswal tries to find his touch after a few quiet innings struck together. He will be hoping to find able support from Shubman Gill, still to come in, who has enjoyed a phenomenal series in his first outing as captain. Nevertheless, all of it will be for nothing if the skipper can’t see his team through to a win in this Test match. Will that added pressure spur on his game, or will he falter when the lights are at their brightest?
The Oval has been a dream for seamers so far on its first two days, with a nice covering of grass and very overcast conditions. The good news for India is that it is the third day, when batting is expected to be at its best, and it coincides with the brightest day of the week on the forecast. If the conditions play in their favour, India know they will have no better chance of setting up a massive fourth innings chase for the English team — and a truly massive score will be needed for England, who are such good chasers, even without their talismanic captain at their disposal.
No Chris Woakes either for England, another boost in India’s favour, but there will need to be a lot of care and responsibility taken by the remainder of India’s batting. There is still a lot of batting in the tank: Jaiswal is already at the crease, and will want to convert his fast start into a big score after throwing away his wicket on occasion this series. Gill has yet to come out of the hut, along with Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. That’s a lot of batting, but India will know that anything sub-300 in terms of a target will likely not be enough — and even scores in excess of that have been hunted down in their very matchup.
The match will take a turn in one direction or the other by the end of day’s play today, you feel, after two fairly honours-even kind of days. For India, it is a matter of desperation to be on the right side. They were in a similar predicament in Australia earlier this year: can they do better now than on that occasion?
Score: India (396 all out in 88 overs) lead England (247) by 373 runs.
