India ends 50-year draught at the Oval | England vs India 4th Test Match Review |

After a humbling defeat in the third test, India needed a collective team performance in order to stay alive in the series. Questionable choices in the playing XI raised a lot of doubts in the minds of experts and fans alike, but the team replied to all those criticisms in the best way possible: on the field. Not many expected India to bounce back, let alone in such an emphatic way after the visitors were given a lead of 99-runs. Yet somehow, with their backs against the wall, they fought their way through adversity and scripted a historic win at the Oval in a match filled with drama, passion and high-quality cricket. How did it all unfold? Read the full article to find out just how.

 

Playing XI:

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadaav.

England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, James Anderson, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson.

 

India 1^st Innings: The Lord saves the day

Openers Rahul (17) and Rohit (11) failed to give India the usual good start to the innings courtesy of some fine bowling by the English quicks; Overton and Robinson. Cheteshwar Pujara soon fell for 4 as India was left stranded at 39-3 with Ravindra Jadeja; who was promoted up the order and Virat Kohli in the middle. Despite Kohli’s mesmerizing half century which was quite reminiscent of his glory days from 2018, India could never really get going as the lower middle order comprising Jadeja (10), Rahane (14) and Pant (9) failed to step up. Being reduced to 127-7, India had the writing on the wall, feeling a sense of déjà vu from the previous test when they were bowled out for just 78. Enter: Lord Shardul. While everyone was playing checkers, the Lord was playing chess. His flamboyant innings of 57 runs off just 36 balls mirrored how greatly he has matured as a bowling all-rounder. Batting fearlessly with the rest of the tail-enders, Shardul Thakur put an exhibition of fours and sixes, some of the which could easily put the world’s best batsmen to shame. His valiant effort helped India post a respectable total of 191 as both sides were happy with the result. Chris Woakes was the pick amongst the English bowlers with figures of 15-6-55-4 while Ollie Robinson also ended his spell with figures of 3-38.

 

England 1^st Innings: Pope stars as England take a lead of 99-runs

Having posted just 191 runs, India couldn’t have asked for a better start from their ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah as he dismissed both the English openers Burns (5) and Hameed (0) in a single over. Struggling at 6-2, England yet again had high hopes from their skipper Joe Root, who’s recently been on a purple patch. But Umesh Yadaav’s beautiful inswinger was just too good for him to play, as he was bowled for 21 in the late hours of play of Day 1. India struck gold again in the early hours of play in Day 2, with Umesh Yadaav dismissing night-watchman Craig Overton for 1 and Dawid Malan; who was beginning to look dangerous at 31 as India seemed to have England in a strong predicament at 62-5. Despite being in almost similar situations while batting, what made England stand out was the contribution from their lower order batsmen. Putting up enormous partnerships with first Jonny Bairstow (37) and then Moeen Ali (35), Ollie Pope took the game away from India’s hands. Pope was finally dismissed for an exquisite innings of 81 by Thakur, not before he helped ensure that England were significantly ahead of the opposition. Chris Woakes’ hard-hitting cameo towards the end was quite reflective of the one Thakur played in the first innings as he took England’s total to 290, giving the hosts an almost indomitable lead of 99-runs.

 

India 2^nd Innings: Rohit scores ton as India go big

While the openers came to bat, everyone knew that the Indians had to either go big or go home. Facing the relentless pace attack with the new ball nonchalantly, Sharma and Rahul gave India the ideal start they’ve been accustomed to in this series. While Sharma took his time in the middle, it was KL Rahul who flourished, not missing out on a single opportunity to latch onto the occasional bad ball. The duo put up an 83-run partnership, playing through the new ball phase, before KL was dismissed for 46 by Jimmy Anderson. It was up to former under-19 teammates Pujara and Rohit to take the innings forward as the duo batted with great composure. England sensed the game slipping from their hands but Sharma and Pujara seemed to be just too good for their pace attack. Rohit Sharma’s brilliancy with the bat helped him reach his maiden overseas test hundred while Pujara scored another half century as well as the duo put together an enormous 153-run partnership before the 2^nd new ball was taken in the 81^st over. The uneven bounce from the flat track mixed with the new ball seemed to be fatal for them as Rohit (127) and Pujara (61) were dismissed in the very first over in which the new ball was taken. Virat Kohli added some much-needed runs to the total as well as India were looking quite comfortable. Wickets of Jadeja (17), Rahane (0) and then skipper Virat (44) in quick intervals helped the Englishmen get some sort of a comeuppance as India went from 296-3 to 312-6 in no time. But the Indians were far from done at that point. Shardul Thakur yet again gained the limelight by his splendid performance with the bat, with boundaries coming from left, right and center while Pant took the back seat. Rishabh Pant, who had been in the lookout for runs joined hands with the Lord himself as they put up a 100-run partnership, giving India some much needed breathing space. Cameos from Umesh (25) and Bumrah (24) helped India post a vast total of 466 runs. While it was a tough outing on the field for the Englishmen after having fielded for almost 150 overs, Woakes was yet again the pick amongst the bowlers with figures of 3-83 while Robinson and Moeen Ali grabbed a brace each.

 

England 2^nd Innings: England collapse after lunch: ft. Bumrah and Jadeja

Having given 367 to chase, England’s best course of action was to play for a draw after surviving the brutal day 4 and day 5 conditions. Burns and Hameed gave England the start they needed, playing with a positive intent through the end of Day 4 at 73-0. They put together a 100-run stand before Rory Burns was dismissed for a well made 50. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals for England as Malan (5) and Haseeb Hameed (63) were dismissed. Being struck at 141-3, Kohli introduced Jasprit Bumrah to the mix and his effortless yorkers put England on their back foot as he bowled Bairstow (0) and Pope (2). Jadeja dismissed Moeen Ali for 0 as skipper Joe Root watched it all unfold from the other end as England were at the brink of defeat. Root tried to steady the English ship but it was damaged beyond repair. His dismissal for 38 signaled England’s surrender as they waved the metaphorical white flag. The tail enders could only help the cause with a handful of runs as England were bowled out for just 210 runs in the last session of play in Day 5. Umesh Yadaav was yet again the pick amongst the bowlers with his figures of 3-60 as there was a brace each for Bumrah, Jadeja and Shardul Thakur as India beat England by a comprehensive margin of 157-runs.

Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma (11 and 127 runs)

Conclusion: The Oval witnessed a rollercoaster of emotions in the last five days of play and at the end of it all, the better team emerged victorious. The inclusion of Shardul Thakur in the playing XI has greatly boosted India’s batting and this is a good sign for things to come in the future. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara’s form are also green flags for the men in blue as they look to continue their winning ways. The Indian dressing room would be quite happy with their performance as it was a complete team effort. For the English side, well, it was a different story. Their side seems to be revolving around Joe Root and despite Pope’s wonderful innings of 81, the side seemed to lack a certain something. Inconsistent performances from the batsmen and bowlers have greatly hampered their momentum. The level of fielding from the hosts was also below par with as much as half a dozen dropped chances. They have a lot of homework to do if they want to stop India from winning the series because they look undeniably the favourites to win the series as it builds towards its crescendo.