Bowled him! India win by six runs!
Mohammed Siraj with the redemptive five-for! He finds the base of Gus Atkinson's off stump with a perfect yorker, with England's main man obliged to fling the bat in the absence of any alternative. Siraj celebrates with the Siuu celebration, but it's handshakes and respect all round at the end of India's closest ever victory in terms of runs!
Absolute jubilation for India, as they huddle around their matchwinner, bouncing up and down in glee and relief. What a stunning end to the series. And, fittingly, this finish comes 20 years to the day since the Edgbaston 2005 Test began... which must surely count as the previous most extraordinary to have been played in England!
The India team heads off on a lap of honour, KL Rahul tells Dinesh Karthik "this means absolutely everything. Nothing compares to lifting the World Cup, but so many doubts and questions about Test cricket." He believes that this series, albeit it's a draw not a win, will rank right up there among India's greatest moments in the format, and no little wonder! What unbelievable scenes!
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A baseball slam across the line first ball, and an instant call of "two!" from Atkinson... it's mopped up in the deep, but they make it back... Woakes grimacing as he does so...
Second ball, an air shot, over the top of the stumps... needs boundaries now, as Woakes can't do too much running...
Third ball, carbon copy, another swing up into the length ball, as Krishna's extra bounce eludes his ambitions...
Fourth ball is a wide full toss, can't lay bat on ball there... Gill is in conversation with his bowler every single ball. Wide outside off feels the plan ... is another burgled single on the cards?
It's going to have to be, as Atkinson can't connect on the short ball outside off ... Jurel removes one glove to aid his ability to pull off the under-arm run-out...
Atkinson, calm as you like, taps the single to mid-on! Was it a bluff from Krishna to aim at the stumps? Either way, it was what was needed for England. Six to tie and Atkinson on strike!
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It's all on Atkinson now!
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No time to stand on ceremony for Atkinson... he's got to get this launched, and he does... clean through the fingers of Akash Deep at wide long-on! It's a formidable blow, down on one knee and blazed hard and flat... Deep was in off the rope and actually did well to get a hand on it, had he caught it, he would have gone over the rope anyway.
Another huge wipe across the line takes a top-edge, and lands safe at midwicket... but they can't risk the two, in case Woakes is left exposed... foanother hack through the full length is inside-edged... two balls remain...
Fifth ball is a full toss! Any contact and that would have flown, but Atkinson misses, and the ball just eludes leg stump too... can he find the single?
They can! Siraj goes for the wide line, Atkinson can't connect... Jurel gathers but Woakes is already sprinting! And the act has hurt him a lot! His arm has probably slipped in his sling... but he's off strike, and Atkinson effectively needs 10 from six balls in Krishna's next over!
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Krishna castles Tongue, here comes Woakes!
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Krishna to Atkinson ... this is where England's relative window of opportunity lies. But with the men in the deep, there's little opportunity to turn ones into twos, let alone find the boundary. Besides, Krishna is hammering his line ... until a short ball that is miscued to mid-on... no-one knew where it had gone! Atkinson was looking to square leg, and had to scamper the single in the end.
Two slips become three and a gully for Tongue, but with 17 needed, it's the boundaries that are most precious, and they remain in lockdown. Still rain falling, but nothing too drastic as yet...
And now it's drastic! Krishna piledrives a final-ball yorker through Tongue's half-formed defences... Out comes Chris Woakes, with a solitary arm!
What an ovation! Scenes reminiscent of Colin Cowdrey at Lord's in 1963... like Cowdrey, he is at the non-striker's end... for now. But surely he's going to have to front up at some stage!
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Tongue in Siraj's sights...
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Six boundary riders for India, so a firm cut to a rare wide one for Siraj is just a single to deep point. It brings Tongue straight onto strike... As Matt Roller notes, he got his maiden first-class fifty this season, but 10 right now would be gold dust.
Siraj greets him with a looping outswinger, but that wide line that did for Smith needs to be tighter to the tailender.He duly tightens up! An unplayable outswinger curls round the edge. Tongue is on his mettle to guide his third ball into the cordon off the back foot, then is right in behind the line to defend the inswinger. One ball to survive... and he does, by the skin of his outside edge! What a competitor Mohammed Siraj is! He will leave nothing out there.
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Krishna thinks he's got No. 9 ... but no!
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Krishna seems to be the relative weak link this morning, and Atkinson continues to take him on... although there's a well-placed deep third to cut off a well-placed uppercut to deep third...
But it's only relative... Another inswinger thuds into Tongue's front pad, and umpire Raza puts his finger up... this is surely missing leg! It is! Jeepers... Chris Woakes can sit down... but England are denied their leg bye in the process... how crucial will that be?
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Siraj strikes once more!
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Siraj, with the inswinger... Jamie Overton goes too! Umpire Dharmasena waited an eternity to raise the finger, and it was such a crucial moment! Overton reviews, and it is clipping leg stump, so umpire's call stands! India are marching towards 2-2 here, and Chris Woakes has his arm-guard on his right arm, so he'll be batting left-handed!
Surely the new ball is out of the question now... indeed, India persist with the old.
In the meantime, England have thrown the bat at everything this morning, in a bid to end it quickly. But you sense they've got to get in for the long haul now... Josh Tongue gets solidly behind the line to see out the over.
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Krishna finds some swing too ...
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If it's up, England are still going for it, but this old ball is talking and India are on the mark. Another over of umbrella-chewing tension, punctuated by a firm drive through the covers from Atkinson, wonderfully intercepted at deep cover by a diving Jadeja. Every run is vital, as the lights blink into life, and light rain starts to fall... Too Much Drama!
Just to add to the conundrums... the new ball is due in one over's time. Do India take it? Surely not, given how this old ball is behaving. As England found in the third innings, until the lacquer comes off, the new nut sometimes does very little.
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Siraj strikes, Smith is gone!
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Was there ever any doubt that Mohammed Siraj would also have a say this morning? This is an incredible start to the day. Siraj nicks off the big wicket, Jamie Smith, in the midst of a sensational first over, with swing from the outset, and crucially a wide line, forcing Smith to chase his shots if he wants to end this in a hurry. He's beaten twice, then snicks his third attempt - a palpable edge clean into Dhruv Jurel's gloves! The umpires consult, not sure why, but he's on his way...
And immediately Siraj is back on his mark as Gus Atkinson marches out. Another snick, this time to KL Rahul at second slip... it reaches him on the half-volley, but his fingers were definitely underneath as the ball wriggled out! A final-ball hack from Atkinson takes a leading edge out to point... 25 more needed!
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Overton on the attack
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Was there ever any doubt about how Jamie Overton would go about things on his home ground? He's been picked repeatedly in T20Is for his long levers and boundary-hitting potential, and he comes good with two in two to launch the day ... albeit in very different directions!
First up, a short ball from Prasidh Krishna, it doesn't get up much, and with Lee Fortis having run the heavy roller over the pitch this morning, there's no appreciable movement. Overton gets on top of his pull and boshes it through midwicket for a cathartic four.
Next up, Krishna aims fuller, and Overton climbs into his drive... it's so close to leg stump as it flies off the inside edge! But it's also away through deep fine leg... 35 to win becomes 27 in the blink of an eye!
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Best moment of the series?
It's been a stunning contest, whichever way it goes. Full of brilliance, rancour, anguish, glory... every emotion in between. I tried to cobble together an XI of potential best moments, but then kept thinking of another one... So here's a throwaway list to argue over as the players come out to the middle!
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The crowds are pouring in
Aerial views of The Oval show a huge influx of fans ... reminiscent of those famous scenes at Old Trafford in 2005, when a crucial contest also came down to the final day. It's a sell-out this morning, and once a single ball has been bowled there will be no refunds. But I guess we are guaranteed at least six balls of action, and a minimum of three (and a half). So roll up, roll up!
England, meanwhile, have suggested that Chris Woakes will bat left-handed... with his one good hand as the 'top' one, and his injured shoulder away from the action.
Joe Root has this to say earlier: "He's doing good... it means a huge amount to him to play for this team. I had a chat with him this morning, and he said if he didn't go out today, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. But hopefully it doesn't come to that. We've got two talented players at the crease, Gus Atkinson with a Test hundred to his name, and Tonguey is very capable. We'll see how things unfold, but it's a testament to his character."
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Siraj in the spotlight
He made the old ball talk, he's got a new ball lurking in just under four overs' time. One way or another, Mohammed Siraj is sure to be centre stage as the final throes of this series unfold.
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Joe Root on his headband tribute
Joe Root is talking to Sky Sports, about his hundred, and that tribute to Graham Thorpe: "It's what he deserved really," he says. "As a mentor, as a friend, that gesture wasn't just from me, it's from our dressing room and all the other dressing rooms he's affected, whether that be for Surrey or for England and beyond.
"He's someone that we all dearly love and miss every day, and it's been really nice this week that we've been able to celebrate everything that he gave to the game of cricket, and hopefully that can continue for many more years to come.
"I'd like to say [I planned it] before I walked out to bat, that I was that confident, but it was on 98 that I put it in there in the back of my trousers. But clearly it was in my mind the whole game. He's had such an impact on my career and so many others, not just as a coach or a mentor, but as a friend as well, with the amount of time you spent together off the field in those environments."
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Grey clouds, heading greyer?
We are, in theory, getting closer to that crucial start time. But it's only fitting for Big Lee, the Oval groundsman, to have one final say in the proceedings... it's not impossible that a band of rain will be hitting the venue just as the players want to get underway...
In the meantime, Matt Roller has his eyes on the distinctly dry warm-ups: "Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson are out there getting throwdowns. For any England fans clutching at straws, Jamie Overton has hit the winning runs in front of a full house at The Oval before..."
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Grey skies in store as series comes down to the wire
Well hello there... didn't expect to see you all this morning, the 25th of this gripping and ceaselessly chaotic series. But here we are, back at the Kia Oval for one final push, this time with the inevitability of a result one way or another. But will it be 35 runs for England, and a 3-1 series win, or three (and a half) wickets for India, and a stunningly secured share of the spoils?
Remember, Chris Woakes has a dislocated shoulder, but will bat if required... potentially in scenes reminiscent of Salim Malik at Faisalabad in 1986... Salim did the needful back then, guiding Wasim Akram to his maiden Test half-century. Wonder if Woakes has been studying his impressively fluent one-handed technique?
Paul Muchmore is our first riser in South London this morning: "An early hello from The Oval, where it's looking like it's going to be overcast for the final morning of the series. England's big dogs - Stokes, Pope, McCullum, Key - have arrived in advance of the rest of the squad, arriving at the Alec Stewart gate by foot just as I was getting my bag searched 5 minutes ago. All very calm in South London at the moment."
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Stumps: The series goes into 25th day
The rain has stopped but the ground will not be ready in time for play to resume tonight. That means the series goes into its 25th day, with England needing 35 runs and India four wickets.
Just to recap, England started the day on 50 for 1, needing 324 more for a 3-1 win. India dominated the opening session, leaving England 106 for 3. It could have been 137 for 4 had Siraj not stepped onto the boundary cushion while taking Brook's catch at long leg. Brook was on 19 at that point; he went on to make 111 off 98. Root scored a hundred off his own, and when the two were in the middle, an England win looked all but secured.
But Askash Deep dismissed Brook before tea and Prasidh grabbed two in two overs after it. That left England 337 for 6 and put the brakes on the scoring rate. Forget run-scoring, Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton found it difficult to survive. Chris Woakes, with his left arm in a sling, was pacing up and down in the dressing room. But the weather had its say, bringing a premature end to the day's play. We will be back tomorrow. See you then.
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Lashing down
The rain has got heavier. "Much heavier," says Matt Roller. "Lashing down."
"Heaviest it’s been," adds Paul Muchmore. "I think the cricket gods want us to come back tomorrow."
Still a lot of time left before the scheduled close of play. But they need to be back on by 6.42pm local time (11.12pm IST).
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Overton survives before bad light forces players off
It's a full delivery from Prasidh and Overton tries to dig it out. There's some noise and the Indians go up in an appeal for caught behind. It looked like a bump ball but the umpires want to be fully sure. So they go upstairs. It's not conclusive at first look. After multiple replays, TV umpire Rod Tucker concludes there's no bat involved at all. There was only one spike on the UltraEdge and, he says, that was from the ball hitting the ground.
Meanwhile, it has got dark out there. Dharmasena has the light meter out and the reading says we have to go off. A light drizzle has also started but officially we are off for bad light. England are still 35 away.
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Last five overs: eight runs, two wickets
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Root departs. Is there a twist?
Suddenly, the ball is jagging around. Prasidh gets one to nip back and hits Root on the pads. A big, big appeal for lbw but Ahsan Raza rules it in the favour of the batter. India take their time before signalling for a review. They have to review; it's now or never. The ball-tracking, though, shows it was going over the leg stump.
But Root doesn't survive the over. Prasidh bowls one in the corridor, just short of good length. Root edges it at good height to the right of Jurel, who dives across to pouch it with both hands.
Jamie Overton is the new batter. England 337 for 6, still needing 37. Chris Woakes is in whites. Looks like he will come out if required.
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Bethell departs. England 42 away
Bethell charges down the track to Prasidh and has a swing. All he gets is an inside edge that uproots the middle stumps. England are 332 for 5, they need 42 more. Jamie Smith is the new batter. Can India get one more here?
Prasidh does his best. He first induces an inside edge of Smith's bat that goes on to hit the pads. With his next ball, he beats the outside edge.
From the other end, Siraj gets one to nip back and hit Root on the pads. Cue a loud appeal. Dharmasena rules it not out and signals it is too high, even before India can think about the review.
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Root brings up 39th Test hundred
The headband straight on
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 3, 2025
"England's present No. 4 will never forget England's previous No. 4, that meant so much to him."
@IGcom pic.twitter.com/MnPzz4vQmQ
Root comes down the pitch and clips this length ball from Akash Deep towards deep square leg for a couple. Gets to his 39th Test hundred. He raises the bat, removes the helmet and kisses it. But he is not done yet. As the crowd goes "Roooooot", he pulls out a Graham Thorpe headband, wears it and points skywards.
39 Test hundreds for Joe Root. He goes past Sangakkara. Only Ponting (41), Kallis (45)and Tendulkar (51) are ahead of him.
This is the 21st century of this series, a joint record.
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We're back
So, England need 57. Root needs two to bring up his hundred. The official close of play is 6.42pm, plus the extra 30 minutes to make up for remaining overs. Don't think it will last that long, though.
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A mizzle delays the start
A very light drizzle has delayed the start of the third session. It's not hard enough to bring umbrellas up or to keep the pitch from getting uncovered, says Sidharth Monga.
"Has stopped now," he quickly adds. We will start at 4.30pm local time (9pm IST). Varun Aaron hopes this slightly longer break gives India's seamers a second wind.
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Tea: Root 98*, England 57 away
India need wickets and they need them now. In that attempt, they end up burning a review. Siraj gets a wobble-seam delivery to nip back in to Root, beating his inside edge and rapping him on the near the knee roll on the front pad. The umpire is unmoved. India send it upstairs, only to find the impact was clearly outside off stump. Root's family applauds the decision from the stands.
Two balls later, Root dabs one late, past a diving Sai Sudarshan at gully for four. The next ball he drives down the ground and moves to 98. But with Siraj finishing the over with a dot ball, Root will have to wait for his hundred as it's tea at The Oval. England need only 57 more and have six wickets in hand.
Meanwhile, the drizzle has got heavier and the covers have come on.
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One almost brings two
Akash Deep is bowling around the wicket to Bethell. It's a short ball just outside off and Bethell goes for a pull. A half-hearted pull. And the ball lobs over the bowler's head. Akash Deep applies the brakes, but his spikes get stuck into the pitch as he tries to turn around. The mid-off and mid-on look on helplessly as the ball lands near the bowling crease.
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India get Brook. Too late?
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We are about 15 minutes away from tea but that's not going to change the way Brook bats. He crunches Akash Deep through extra cover and then through midwicket for back-to-back fours. He goes for the hat-trick but as he tries to smash the ball, the bat flies off his hands towards the leg side. The ball, meanwhile, lobs towards mid-off for a dolly to Siraj.
Brook walks back for 111 off 98 balls, and gets a standing ovation from the crowd as well as the dressing room. India have ended the 195-run stand to get Jacob Bethell in the middle. But the target is only 73 away.
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Tenth Test ton for Brook
Take a bow, Harry Brook. Brings up his hundred off just 91 balls. It's his tenth in Test cricket; Since the start of 2022, only one batter has made more: Root, 15.
Brook took 50 innings to get there. Sampath tells me that in the last 70 years, no one has got there faster. Marnus Labuschagne (51) was the previous quickest in this period. Overall, Brook is ninth on the list:
23 - Don Bradman
32 - George Headley
36 - Arthur Morris
40 - Denis Compton
40 - Neil Harvey
44 - Herbert Sutcliffe
45 - Everton Weekes
47 - Clyde Walcott
50 - Harry Brook
32 - George Headley
36 - Arthur Morris
40 - Denis Compton
40 - Neil Harvey
44 - Herbert Sutcliffe
45 - Everton Weekes
47 - Clyde Walcott
50 - Harry Brook
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Target under 100
A few umbrellas go up as the rain gets a little heavier. Still a pretty fine drizzle, though. Dharmasena has a chat with Raza and they decide to carry on.
But you can see its impact. Jadeja wipes it but still ends up bowling a high full toss. Root duly dispatches it over midwicket for four. He has also brought up 500 runs for the series, for the fourth time in his career of which three have been against India.
England need only 95 now.
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Prasidh vs Root 2.0
During England's first innings, Prasidh said something to Root, which riled up the batter and probably led to his dismissal. Prasidh tries the same once again. After the last over, as Root nears the non-striker's end for a single, he has a few words for the batter. But this time, Root ignores him.
There is a bit of drizzle, though, in the air. Looks like it's the only thing that can slow down England's march.
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England galloping
Still 28 overs to go before India can avail the second new ball. They tried getting the current one replaced but the umpires didn't find any issues with it.
So, Jadeja comes into the attack for the first time this innings, and Root welcomes him with a reverse sweep. He fails to find the gap and ends up hitting it straight towards backward point. But on the very next ball, he skips down the ground and lofts it over the bowler's head. Just 128 needed now.
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Another record for Root
13 Root now has 13 50-plus scores in the fourth innings of Tests, the joint-most with Chanderpaul, Gayle and Graeme Smith
Soon after Root's fifty, Brook pulls Akash Deep through square for four. He moves to 79, his highest score in the fourth innings of a Test. Thanks to Paul Muchmore and Matt Roller for spotting these milestones.
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Root gets to fifty
One milestone after another for England, this time Root bringing up his fifty. Akash Deep tries to attack his pads but Root flicks it past mid-on for four. A ball later, Jurel goes back. Sensing a change in line, Root walks at Akash Deep and drives him through extra cover for three. In the next over, he turns Siraj behind square leg to bring up yet another half-century. On either side of the Root fifty, Brook has found a boundary, making sure there's no respite for India.
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200 up for England
England have crossed 200. Currently, they are 206 for 3. The stand between Brook and Root is worth 100 off just 111 balls, and that has shifted the momentum.
Washington has bowled two overs for nine runs. He has not found much help from the pitch. Siraj is operating from the other end. Root is countering him by standing well out of his crease, Brook is charging down the track often.
Between deliveries, we hear Gill asking Akash Deep if he has taken the injection. Probably a painkiller. I guess Akash said yes, and that's why he is into the attack, replacing Washington. To keep the batters in the crease, Jurel has come up to the stumps.
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7000 and counting
2 This is only the second Test series ever, after the 1993 Ashes, to witness 7000 runs being scored
As expected, after just four overs into the session, Washington Sundar comes into the attack. He is not a big turner of the ball, so there's just one slip and no bat-pad.
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Fifty for Brook
Harry Brook resumes his high-risk approach, and for now, it's fetching him high rewards. Prasidh's first ball of the session is a knee-high full toss. Brook fails to put it away but still picks up two fours in the over. The first is flicked wide of mid-on, and puts more miles into the chasing Siraj's legs. The next is a length ball in the channel. Brook slashes at it and gets a thick outside edge that flies through the gap between first slip and gully. If Siraj had gifted Brook a life in the first session, you can say Brook has made his own luck this time. It's his attacking approach that led to Gill having only two fielders in the cordon.
In Prasidh's next over, he brings up his fifty, off just 39 balls.
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Welcome back
India have used only three bowlers, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, and their workloads could not have been more evenly distributed. But with the ball 38 overs old, the spinners may come into play. Ravindra Jadeja's stock delivery will turn away from Root and Brook, and Washington has got the drift to beat them in the air. But will Shubman Gill go to them?
There was a two-minute drizzle during the lunch break but the sun is back out.
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Lunch: An even session
Lunch - England 247 and 164 for 3 (Duckett 54) need 210 more runs to beat India 224 and 396
Harry Brook launched an exhilarating counterattack to help England recover from the loss of two wickets on the fourth morning, keeping the fifth Test in the balance. India were on top when Mohammed Siraj trapped Ollie Pope lbw, leaving England 106 for 3 in pursuit of 374, but Brook and Joe Root added 48 in 10.3 overs to put their seamers back under pressure.
Brook made the play, and was given a life on 19: he picked out long leg with a miscued pull off Prasidh Krishna, only for Siraj to step on the advertising toblerone on the boundary rope after completing the catch. He continued to attack, lashing Krishna through cover and cutting him past gully having cracked back-to-back boundaries off Akash Deep’s previous over.
It was Krishna who struck the first blow of the morning, dangling a carrot outside off stump which Ben Duckett snatched at. He was drawn into driving at a fuller ball in the channel, and KL Rahul made a sharp chance at second slip look straightforward. India came out fired up, their close fielders vocal, and regularly beat the bat in the first hour.
Pope, England’s stand-in captain, hit three boundaries in an over off Krishna to pass 300 runs for the series, but was trapped plumb in front by Siraj’s nip-backer and took a review with him. He has only reached 50 once since his first-innings century in Leeds, and incredibly, his 27 was his second-highest score in the fourth innings of a Test.
Root started uncharacteristically skittishly, surviving a tight lbw shout from Krishna, but steadily grew into his innings. He was happy to play in Brook’s slipstream, and is the key wicket for India as they bid to square the series.
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Runs galore
9 Sampath Bandarupalli: Harry Brook has become the ninth batter to reach 400 runs for the series, a new record. Eight batters scored 400-plus runs in the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1975/76, and in the 1993 Ashes.
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Brook on the charge
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Harry Brook is on the counter-attack. Akash Deep drops short and is cracked disdainfully for four, and Brook anticipates the fuller one as a follow-up. He charges down, staying leg-side of the ball, and launches it over extra cover for six. Extraordinary hitting.
He then gets a huge let-off from Mohammed Siraj on 19, at the start of the next over. He top-edges his pull, which loops up towards Siraj at long leg in front of the Bedser Stand. He takes the catch, but then treads on the advertising toblerone and stands there in disbelief. Brook has no plans to slow down, slapping Prasidh Krishna through cover two balls later, and then rocking back to late cut for four more.
27 runs and one huge missed chance in the space of two overs.
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Root in control
After an uncharacteristically frenetic start, Joe Root has found his groove. He plays the shot of the morning as Prasidh Krishna overpitches outside off stump, presenting a full face to drive him through cover for four. England are now one-third of the way to their target, three wickets down; India are still clear favourites, but there's a long way to go.
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Siraj again!
Just as Pope looks settled, he is done by the nip-backer. It's Siraj yet again, now the outright leading wicket-taker in the series with 20, and this is a beauty: wobble-seam, jagging in and keeping a touch low, and projected to hit middle stump two-thirds of the way up, as Pope takes a review with him. Another big moment for India; if they can get either Root or Brook before lunch, they'll be in total control.
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Pope gets moving
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Three boundaries in the over for Ollie Pope, who passes 300 runs for the series in the process. Prasidh Krishna gets a bit greedy, twice overpitching: he is driven straight back down the ground, then whipped through midwicket. He overcorrects, dropping short, and is pulled away for four more. Incredibly, his 27* is his second-highest score in the fourth innings of a Test match.
6 Ollie Pope is the sixth England player to reach 300 runs in the series, after Duckett, Root, Brook, Smith and Stokes.
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Root's sketchy start
Joe Root is usually such a fluent starter but he's struggled early on in this innings. Fifth ball, he was trapped on the pad by Prasidh Krishna and given not out on-field; India opted against the review, and Hawk-Eye projected it would only have clipped the top of leg stump. He's then beaten twice in an over by Siraj, who has steamed in from the Pavilion End all morning.
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Prasidh strikes
Huge moment!
Duckett laid the foundation for England in their successful run chase at Headingley with a superb 149 but falls for 54 here. It's Prasidh Krishna who makes the breakthrough with his fourth ball of the day, replacing Akash Deep at the Vauxhall End. After starting just short of a good length, Prasidh pitches one up and draws a thick outside edge as Duckett looks to drive through mid-off.
KL Rahul has a safe pair of hands at second slip and makes a sharp chance look incredibly straightforward - in stark contrast to Harry Brook and Zak Crawley's efforts in India's second innings.
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50 for Duckett
1 Ben Duckett is the first England player to reach 50 four times in this series. Five India batters have done so four or more times: Jadeja (6), Pant (5), Jaiswal, Rahul and Gill (all 4).
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England push on
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Mohammed Siraj relieves some of the pressure, gifting Ben Duckett a wide half-volley at the start of the 20th over which he gleefully puts away for four. Ollie Pope then tickles on fine for the second boundary of the over, and England's requirement soon dips below 300.
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Volume up
There's a lot of noise from India's close fielders this morning. Shubman Gill - standing at first slip, with Karun Nair off the field - has been vocal, and there's a lot of chirp coming from Washington Sundar and Yashasvi Jaiswal too, particularly in Ben Duckett's direction. Ravi Shastri on Sky's commentary says he'd be after a pair of earplugs.
It looks like a concerted effort to put Duckett under pressure, which has been helped by an exceptional start from Siraj and Akash Deep. Siraj beats the bat five times in the 18th over alone, and can't quite believe that he hasn't caught the outside edge.
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Pope's fourth-innings struggle
It's a massive day for Ollie Pope, who has walked out to face the first ball of the day from Mohammed Siraj. It would be a huge achievement for him as a young captain to win this Test given the cards that he has been dealt - a greenhorn attack, missing its leader through injury - but he'll need to step up with the bat. He started this series with a brilliant hundred in Leeds but his returns have tailed off, and he has still never scored multiple centuries in the same series.
16.15 Ollie Pope's batting average in the fourth innings of Tests, with only one score above 25.
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Heavy roller
Nagraj Gollapudi at The Oval: Morning. Sunny again. No idea about the forecast, but it looks in all probability that the curtain is coming down on the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy today. Bethell has had a good look at the pitch for a few minutes. Gill, standing at the Pavilion End, attempted visualising playing left-handed - probably to judge the length needed for his seamers to pitch on. Duckett has come in early, taking throwdowns from Trescothick and Patel - being his usual self, punch, drive, hit.
Ian Ward is focusing on a certain spot or area around back-of-a-length on the left-hander's off stump and poiting to Mel Jones and Ravi Shastri as they get ready for the morning routines. Lee Fortis, is sitting pretty atop his horse - the twin-roller (heavy) - staring at the masterpiece he has created for this final Test.
Mel Jones and Ravi Shastri explain how the dents in the pitch are where the extra bounce is coming from pic.twitter.com/JXS43cuUZM
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 3, 2025
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One last time?
India need eight more wickets - or nine, in the improbable event that Chris Woakes walks out to bat one-handed. England need 324 more runs. Either way, the series will be decided today... or will it?
Sanjay Bangar has a wild and dramatic prediction for how this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is going to end #ENGvIND #MatchDay | @CoinDCX pic.twitter.com/CBMgqvIiuT
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 3, 2025
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An absorbing (penultimate) day leaves India favourites
The fate of this series will be sealed on Sunday. England need another 324 runs to pull off the second-biggest run chase in their history and win it 3-1; India need eight wickets – or nine, in the improbable event that Chris Woakes walks out to bat one-handed – to square the series. The draw is no longer on the table.
India are the favourites, and owe that status to four men: Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored his sixth century, and the first of the match; Akash Deep, whose maiden Test fifty wore England’s seamers down; Ravindra Jadeja, who passed 500 runs for the series; and Washington Sundar, whose late blitz took the target from 335 to 374 inside five overs.
England have been here before. They chased 371 in the first Test of this series with five wickets in hand, and cruised to 378 against India at Edgbaston three years ago without breaking a sweat. A punchy opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett shaved 50 runs off the target as the shadows lengthened, and England will not be overawed by scoreboard pressure.
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Miyan's magic yorker
Sweet bluff to finish the day. Siraj pushes deep square leg back, threatens the short ball and, bam! Hoops in a yorker to off stump. Crawley's feet were stuck to the ground and his limp attempt to drive through mid-off is comprehensively beaten.
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Quiet time for Crawley
After a maiden from Siraj, Crawley has faced 18 dot balls in a row. The last one was a booming outswinger that beat him on the off-drive. He didn't score for 40 minutes... and now he does, with a hurried single to mid-on.
Both openers continue to sneak singles, disallowing Prasidh to settle into his length, and bring up another fifty stand in the match.
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Prasidh's challenge to Duckett
Prasidh goes around the wicket to test Duckett on the front foot. He seams two balls away from a length to beat the edge, then comes 10.4, that jumps off a length to hit Duckett flush on the glove. An interruption follows, with 17 minutes to stumps. No dramas but it's taken out four minutes.
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Time for Siraj
England were 51 for 0 after seven overs in their first innings, but it's barely half that today - a much more regulation 27 for 0. India are building pressure nicely, with Akash Deep on the money and finding some variable bounce from the Vauxhall End. Mohammed Siraj is into the attack with just over half an hour left in the day, and will surely charge in from the Pavilion End until the close.
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Stinger!
Extra bounce for Akash Deep and Zak Crawley wears one on the right biceps. Ouch. That looked like a painful one. A typically positive start from England, though it's notable that Shubman Gill has opted to put a man out at deep point to avoid a repeat of their first-innings flier. Curiously, Prasidh Krishna is sharing the new ball with Deep, with Mohammed Siraj lurking on the deep-point boundary.
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Series on the line
Innings break - England 247 require 374 runs to beat India 224 and 396 (Jaiswal 118, Deep 66, Jadeja 53, Washington 53, Tongue 5-125, Atkinson 3-127)
England will need to pull off the second-highest chase in their Test history to beat India at The Oval and seal the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After a priceless contribution from nightwatchman Akash Deep, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sixth Test hundred and half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar set England 374 to win, four short of their record.
Jaiswal played second fiddle to Deep in the morning session but slowly cut England’s depleted seam attack into oblivion, scoring heavily behind square on the off side. He was dropped twice on the second evening and again after reaching his second century of the series, and England shelled six catches in all across India’s second innings.
Jadeja and Washington caused England further headaches in the afternoon: Jadeja scored fluently and passed 500 runs for the series, while Washington’s late six-hitting blitz took England’s target past 350. He eventually fell to Josh Tongue, who completed his second Test five-for, but only after a 39-run last-wicket stand in which Prasidh Krishna faced just two balls.
Tongue, Atkinson and Jamie Overton toiled hard, bowling 79 overs between them in the enforced absence of Chris Woakes due to a shoulder injury. But they struggled to stem the flow of runs as India raced along at more than four an over, and those dropped catches – with Zak Crawley and Harry Brook shelling two each – proved hugely costly.
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374 to win!
Sundar finally falls for a vital 53, hoisting Josh Tongue up into the leg side. Crawley and Pope bumped into each other as they ran back to get underneath it in the midwicket region, but Crawley just about managed to cling onto it. Tongue completes a second five-wicket haul in Tests - in chaotic fashion - and England's target is 374.
That's just between their second-highest and highest successful chases of all time: both against India, both in the last three years.
Josh Tongue claims his second Test five-for and finishes the series as England's top wicket-taker - 19 in three matches #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/WOhzctduVl
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 2, 2025
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50 off 39!
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Washington Sundar reaches his half-century in style and punches the air in celebration. It is all a bit predictable from England's seamers - who must be exhausted after operating as a three-man attack all day - and Washington cuts, hooks and pulls for 14 runs in three balls. We're heading into wheels-off territory for England!
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Sundar sixer!
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The lead passes 350. England are trying to bomb Washington Sundar with short balls, but he is only too happy to take them on: he swings Atkinson for six, pinches a bye to keep the strike, then hoists two of the first three balls of Tongue's over over deep backward square leg.
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Two in the over!
Tongue again!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Siraj is trapped in front!
- pic.twitter.com/9nAU4n03sM
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Tongue gobbles up some more rabbit pie, trapping Mohammed Siraj lbw to become England's leading wicket-taker in the series with 18. Siraj hangs about and can't believe that India are out of reviews, and replays show why: a clear inside edge, but umpire Raza's decision will stand!
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Third time lucky!
Tongue strikes!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Jadeja is caught by Brook in the slips
- pic.twitter.com/3RU4SKnmoL
Harry Brook finally clings onto a catch at second slip, after two drops in this innings. Josh Tongue picks up a third wicket, well deserved after some seriously hard work today, and it's the vital scalp of Ravindra Jadeja, who is dismissed in the second innings for the first time in the series. The lead is 334 as Mohammed Siraj walks out, and England will be desperate to keep their target below 350.
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50 for Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is having a phenomenal series with the bat: he's gone past 500 runs for the tour, and has now passed 50 for the sixth time in 10 innings. He's only been dismissed five times so far, so is averaging more than 100. He's only taken seven wickets at 69 to date, but if he can bowl England out tomorrow to seal a 2-2 draw then there must be a decent case that he should be player of the series.
Meanwhile, England have taken the second new ball - but it appears to be doing less than the old one was.
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Smith's heavy workload
An interesting point raised by Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports, in conversation with Michael Atherton below.
DK: Spare a though for Jamie Smith. He's kept for more than 1,000 overs in the last 45 days. That's plenty.
MA: Where will he be feeling it, then? In the legs, hamstrings, hips?
DK: All of that, and in the brain as well. He must be a bit tired, I would think.
MA: And the fingers, no doubt.
DK: The fingers have got a bit of a battering in this Test especially.
MA: Where will he be feeling it, then? In the legs, hamstrings, hips?
DK: All of that, and in the brain as well. He must be a bit tired, I would think.
MA: And the fingers, no doubt.
DK: The fingers have got a bit of a battering in this Test especially.
Smith spoke last year about adjusting to the "intensity" of Test cricket after making the step-up from county cricket. "It was just mentally quite draining," he said. "It probably took more out of me than I was expecting, with all the emotions that came with it, the expectation, and a bit of added pressure."
It has been notable that his returns have tailed off in the last couple of Tests - he made 9 in his only innings in Manchester, and 8 in the first innings here - and it is worth remembering that this is the first time he has played in a series of more than three Tests.
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Reasons for optimism?
While England will have to become the first team in The Oval's long history to chase more than 300 in the fourth innings if they are to win this series 3-1, they can at least cling to the fact there have been plenty of big fourth-innings totals here. Seven years ago, India pushed them hard in the match below, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both hitting hundreds:
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Rockstar Ravindra
5️ runs in the series for Ravindra Jadeja
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 2, 2025
He has far eclipsed his previous series best - 287 on India’s last tour of England in 2021-22 pic.twitter.com/F662QE7wHp
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Overton strikes!
A beautiful outswinger!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Overton traps Jurel LBW
3-7 pic.twitter.com/ZhJcAfJlTH
As soon as the lead reaches 300, Jamie Overton gets one to move away sharply and smash Dhruv Jurel on the pad. He looks to work leg-side but is beaten by the late movement - by a 76-over old ball no less - and burns India's third and final review.
Washington Sundar walks in at No. 9: it's the result of India using a nightwatchman, but that is some demotion after scoring his maiden Test hundred at No. 5 in Manchester on Sunday!
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India lead by 300
It's going to be a special run chase if England pull this one off. India's lead continues to grow, and reaches 300 as Jadeja works one into the leg side.
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Eagle-eyed Jadeja
Some batters could see a fleck of red paint in the vicinity of the sightscreen and it would put them off, and Ravindra Jadeja is one of those. He's asked a Surrey member in a red polo shirt to move, who appears to tell the security team that he's been there all day and doesn't see why he should move now. They come back with a grey Surrey polo shirt, which he pulls over the offending polo to cheers from the big screen.
A woman wearing an even brighter shade of red has just sat directly in front of him, but Jadeja gives a thumbs up in the direction of the pavilion and is happy to continue.
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Tea: India lead swells
Tea - India 224 and 304 for 6 (Jaiswal 118, Deep 66) lead England 247 by 281 runs
Yashasvi Jaiswal struck his sixth Test century to ensure that England will need to break a long-standing record to seal a 3-1 series win. Jaiswal cut a threadbare seam attack into oblivion during his 118 as India built a substantial lead, leaving England facing the challenge of becoming the first team in The Oval’s history to chase a fourth-innings target in excess of 275.
In the absence of Chris Woakes, England were left to rotate a three-man seam attack – with no frontline spinner – throughout an extended second session, with the exception of three overs of Joe Root’s offspin. They were much more threatening that they had been on Saturday morning, but India continued to rattle along at more than four runs per over as Jaiswal made hay.
Gus Atkinson struck with the first ball after lunch, trapping Shubman Gill on the knee roll, and made life difficult for Karun Nair throughout his innings of 17. Nair was struck on the glove first-ball, was dropped by Harry Brook at second slip – a tough chance, with Zak Crawley diving across him – and eventually caught behind as Atkinson found some extra bounce from a length.
But Jaiswal pressed on, reaching his hundred – his fourth against England, and his second of this series – with a scampered single through backward point. It was a fitting way to bring it up: 72 of his first 100 runs came behind square on the off side, and he rode his luck as he cut, dabbed, steered and slashed England’s quicks past, through or over the slip cordon.
He was given yet another life when Ben Duckett missed a tough chance at leg gully, but Jamie Overton held onto one at deep third to send him on his way for 118. England thought they had Ravindra Jadeja lbw when Josh Tongue hit him on the boot, but he reviewed successfully and steered them to the tea break along with Dhruv Jurel.
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Record required
India's lead has stretched past 275, which means that England will need to break a long-standing record for the highest successful run chase at The Oval if they are to go 3-1 up. The benchmark, 263, was set in 1902 and featured what remains England's fastest-ever Test century by Gilbert Jessop - who is the subject of a new book by Simon Wilde, which was released earlier this week.
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Rohit watches on
Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, is keeping an eye on proceedings at The Oval. He's up in a hospitality box above the England dressing room, sitting with Kieron Pollard and Akash Ambani, among others.
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Jadeja survives
Josh Tongue pleads with Kumar Dharmasena and wins the lbw decision, but Jadeja's review is a good one. He is nailed on the right foot by an inswinging yorker, but Hawk-Eye confirms that the ball was just outside the line of off stump. England are wondering if the ball hit the bat at any stage, as it looped up towards slip, but it doesn't look like it did.
Jadeja is down and receiving treatment from India's physio, but looks like he has done himself less damage than Rishabh Pant did last week, and will bat on.
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England hold onto one
Yashasvi Jaiswal... GONE!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Straight down the throat of Jamie Overton in the deep.
- pic.twitter.com/HBFGOEpPge
Josh Tongue drops short, but not quite wide enough outside off, and Jaiswal is cramped for room on the uppercut. Jamie Overton is out there at deep backward point specifically for this shot, runs in, and makes no mistake.
Jaiswal soaks in the applause for his 118 as he walks off, and has set this match up for India. They lead by 250, with Dhruv Jurel down at No. 8 on account of the nightwatchman - and Washington Sundar still to come, fresh from a century in Manchester.
Both of Yashasvi Jaiswal's lowest century scores in Test cricket - 101 (Headingley) and 118 (The Oval) - have come on this England series. All his previous hundreds ended up in scores above 150. #ENGvIND
— S Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) August 2, 2025
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Time for spin
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Ollie Pope has done a good job of rotating his three quicks today but has decided that it's time to lighten their workload. Joe Root comes on at the Vauxhall End, and starts with a maiden to Jaiswal.
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Six drops!
It's another tough chance, but a chance nonetheless. England are bowling for the leg-side strangle, and Jaiswal plays right into their hands as he looks to work an inswinger off his pads. It carries to Ben Duckett, diving low to his left at leg gully, but he can't cling onto the chance. This was worked around the corner with pace on it, and flew quickly. Overton's follow-up is a quick yorker, 87mph/140kph, which Jaiswal digs out well.
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No mistake this time
Gus Atkinson has his eighth wicket of the Test!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Karun Nair nicks one and Jamie Smith does the rest
- pic.twitter.com/K6tVyXsUaw
Gus Atkinson is having a superb Test match on his home ground. It has been a real struggle for Karun Nair on his return to the side, and the extra bounce takes him by surprise. This ball takes the shoulder of the bat on its way through to Jamie Smith, and Atkinson has eight in the match. Cross-seam, no real movement away, but it's the lift that does the trick for England.
Nair's series is done: 205 runs at 25.62, with a top score of 57. It hasn't been the comeback that he must have dreamed about, and his place is surely vulnerable for India's next series.
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Another chance down!
A fifth dropped catch of the innings for England, but this is a very difficult one. Nair edges Jamie Overton into the slips, where Zak Crawley (at third) is diving low to his left and Harry Brook (second) is tumbling to his right. Crawley pulls out of it late, meaning Brook is unsighted, and he can't cling on after stretching to get a hand to it. It's a tough chance, but another missed opportunity for England in the field.
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India lead by 200
Jaiswal and Karun Nair have had a couple of mix-ups while running between the wickets, and have been a little tetchy with one another as a result, but their partnership is now worth 35 and they have weathered the storm after Gill's dismissal. Nair has not looked at all comfortable after wearing one on the glove first-ball, but has stubbornly stuck around.
The lead has now passed 200... how many can England realistically chase on this surface? I think they'll fancy their chances of hauling in any target below 300, given the pitch has seemed to flatten out today, but that would still be a serious effort.
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Death by a thousand cuts
The cut is Yashasvi Jaiswal's signature shot, and he has played it to great effect at The Oval. As you can see from his wagon wheel, he scored 72 of his first 100 runs behind square on the off side - including the quick single that took him to three figures.
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Jaiswal's bookends
Yashasvi Jaiswal started this series with a century at Headingley, and ends it with another at The Oval. It hasn't been a straightforward tour for him in between times, but this is a vital innings with the series result on the line. He was dropped on 20 (Brook, second slip) and 40 (Dawson, long leg) but has made England pay for their profligacy.
4 Four of Jaiswal's six Test centuries have come against England: two in the 2024 series in India, and two on this tour.
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Can't stand the capital
54 Sampath Bandarupalli: Shubman Gill has scored 54 runs in four innings in London in this series, with a top score of 21. Outside London, he has scored 700 runs, with four hundreds in six innings.
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GIll's new benchmark
754 Shubman Gill's final aggregate for the series, the 19th most by a batter in a bilateral Test series and the second most by an Indian batter. His scores in full: 147, 8, 269, 161, 16, 6, 12, 103, 21, 11.
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Gill gone!
First ball after lunch! ☝
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2025
Atkinson traps Gill infront!
-pic.twitter.com/hRZvMQ2YvJ
One wicket in 26 overs this morning. One wicket in one ball this afternoon. Gus Atkinson strikes immediately with a nip-backer that smacks Shubman Gill on the knee roll and traps him stone-dead lbw. Gill reviews, but there's no inside edge and Hawk-Eye shows three reds. That's a huge moment in the match - and the series - as Atkinson's fine match continues.
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When will England turn to spin?
England's three seamers bowled all but one over in the morning session - the exception being the first, which Jacob Bethell bowled to enable an end change - but Ollie Pope will surely need to give them some respite this afternoon. Stuart Broad on Sky Sports believes that he should try to use Joe Root as a holding bowler from the Vauxhall End.
"A lot of the wickets have fallen from the Pavilion End. I’d try and book in one of the spinners – Root is ultimately the leading wicket-taker on the pitch at the moment – so I’d try and get Rooty in from one end and let the seamers go from the other in short, sharp spells. [Say to them] ‘Come and give me four overs of a huge amount of effort.'
"All Test match pitches, you can just rock in and float the ball up. You have to hit the surface, particularly if there’s dents, you’ve got the hit the pitch as hard as you can, maybe with a little wobble on it, and then get off and rest up. Four-over spells, and try to book the spinner in from one end."
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Lunch: India's morning
Lunch - India 224 and 189 for 3 (Jaiswal 85*, Deep 66) lead England247 by 166 runs
England started the third day with a slight upper hand, but by lunch were in Deep trouble. They have often struggled to dislodge Yashasvi Jaiswal, but it was India’s nightwatchman Akash Deep who threatened to take the game away from them. His 66 was the highest score of his professional career, and his stand with Jaiswal was the biggest partnership of the match.
Deep faced just two balls on the second evening before bad light prompted an early close, and sensed an opportunity to chance his arm. He dragged the third ball of the day – from Jacob Bethell, allowing Gus Atkinson to change ends – over mid-on for four, then flashed hard against the seamers.
England could have dismissed him twice in as many balls. They were convinced that Josh Tongue had trapped him lbw on 21, only for Ahsan Raza’s not-out decision to be upheld via umpire’s call, and then had him edging to Zak Crawley at third slip. But Crawley put down his second – and England’s fourth – catch of the innings, and Deep ploughed on.
He had a fair slice of good fortune, but also played some outrageous shots. He rocked back to uppercut as though mirroring Jaiswal – who seemed happy to assume an unusual role as second fiddle – and punched the air in delight on reaching 50 by hauling Atkinson away through the leg side. The Indian balcony stood to applaud; Gautam Gambhir even cracked a rare smile.
Deep finally fell for 66 shortly before lunch, a leading edge ballooning up to Atkinson at point to give Jamie Overton his first wicket of the match, but England were rattled. Their attack, bowling for the third day in a row, looked toothless, and the absence of the injured Chris Woakes leaves them one bowler down. It could be a long afternoon.
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Overton strikes
Finally, a wicket for England. Akash Deep gets a leading edge looking to work Jamie Overton into the leg side, which pops up for Gus Atkinson at point. He pouches it while tumbling forwards, and England breathe a sigh of relief. Deep gets a standing ovation from the Indian fans at The Oval, and gets plenty of love as he climbs the stairs to the dressing room.
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Rolling in the Deep
From bad to worse for England. It is Akash Deep's day: he now has his highest first-class score, and every time the ball hits his edge, it runs away for four. He skews Josh Tongue away through the gully to bring up the 100-run stand - the first of the Test - and then top-edges him over the keeper for four more. India's lead grows further!
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Deep's rare feat
2 Namooh Shah: Akash Deep is only the second Indian nightwatchman to score a half-century in the 21st century. Amit Mishra managed it twice, hitting 50 at No. 3 against Bangladesh in 2010 and 84 from No. 5 at The Oval in 2011.
Indian No.4s with a half-century in England since 2000:
— Aadya Sharma (@Aadya_Wisden) August 2, 2025
Sachin Tendulkar
Virat Kohli
Shubman Gill
Akash Deep #ENGvIND
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50 for Deep!
Take a bow, Akash Deep. He swings Atkinson away through the leg side - with more than a hint of inside edge - and pumps his fist as he celebrates his maiden Test half-century. The Indian balcony stand to applaud - Gautam Gambhir even lets out a rare smile - as Deep pumps his fist in celebration.
Akash Deep stepping up to the mantle https://t.co/SGb3GyZkso
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) August 2, 2025
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Overton's struggles
40 Wicketless overs bowled by Jamie Overton in first-class cricket in the last two weeks: 14 for Surrey against Yorkshire, and now 26 in this Test match.
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Deeper and deeper
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This is turning into a nightmare morning for England. They are short on bowling options, their bowlers are weary - bowling for the third consecutive day - and they cannot find a way to dislodge Akash Deep. He crashes Gus Atkinson away for four through the off side, then lashes an uppercut two balls later. This is turning into a major headache for Ollie Pope.
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Deep waters
A very good first hour for India. There are some signs that the pitch might have flattened out a bit, but they would have considered any kind of contribution from Akash Deep a bonus this morning and he's seen it through to drinks. Even better for them is that Shubman Gill, the next man in, will walk out to face an older ball against a tiring attack at No. 5.
32 This is Akash Deep's new top score in Tests, beating his 31 from No. 11 at the Gabba in December. He has one first-class half-century to his name, smacking eight sixes in an innings of 53 not out off 18 balls for Bengal against Jharkand in 2022.
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England's thin attack
Jamie Overton is into the attack from the Pavilion End, and gets uppercut over the slip cordon for four by Jaiswal. This is a reminder of how threadbare England's attack is in the absence of Chris Woakes, who is out of this match with a shoulder injury sustained on the first evening.
Overton, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson had only 18 previous Test caps between them heading into this match, and will have to shoulder heavy workloads in the absence of a frontline spinner. Jacob Bethell and Joe Root can bowl a few overs between them, but it will mainly be up to the three quicks.
73 With Woakes injured, Joe Root (73) is the leading wicket-taker in Tests among England's available bowlers, ahead of Atkinson (61), Tongue (27), Bethell (3), Overton (2) and Brook (1).
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Ashes watch
The first Test in Perth is three-and-a-half months away, but the phony war has already started...
I’ve never heard England’s best ever batters front pad called a Surfboard
— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) August 2, 2025
Just for clarity. Hazelwood has got Rooty LBW in Test Cricket 3 times. Three. https://t.co/HZc7hojQHi
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Deep survives... twice
England are convinced that they've got Akash Deep out, taking barely three seconds to refer an lbw shout after Ahsan Raza shakes his head. But his on-field decision stands, with Hawk-Eye projecting that Josh Tongue's inswinger would only have clipped his leg stump.
They should have had him one ball later, with Tongue drawing an outside edge which flies into the slips. But as Crawley tumbles to his left at third - in front of Brook at second - he can't cling onto the chance. That's England's fourth drop of the innings - and Crawley's second - in only 26 overs.
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Jaiswal flashes hard
Jaiswal's strike rate is hovering around 100, and he continues to score heavily behind square on the off side, flashing Josh Tongue over the slips. Deep third man has largely gone out of fashion in the modern game, but might it be worth England looking to plug that gap?
72 Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored 42 of his first 58 runs behind square on the off side, just over 72%.
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Deep's free hit
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There's no pressure at all on Akash Deep this morning after his successful (if brief) nightwatchman job last night, and he has decided that he might as well have a swing. He wastes no time getting things moving as Jacob Bethell opens up for England - surely just to enable Gus Atkinson to change ends - and swings him over mid-on for four, then hacks through square leg for a couple more.
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Masala dosas all round?
There was plenty of spice between the two teams yesterday, from Akash Deep's bizarre arm-around-the-shoulder send-off of Ben Duckett, to the England huddle sending Sai Sudharsan on his way in the evening. But perhaps the biggest flashpoint was Prasidh Krishna's verbal battle with Joe Root, which prompted the umpires to intervene.
Krishna said last night that he was actively trying to unsettle Root, though claimed that his first sledge - after beating him on the outside edge - had been innocuous.
"I don't know why Rooty [reacted]. I just said, 'you're looking in great shape' and then it turned into a lot of abuse and all of that.
"It does help me when I can get under the nerves of the batsman and get a reaction from them. But I love the guy that he is. He is a legend of the game and I think it is great when two people are out there wanting to do the best and be a winner at a given moment."
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Super Siraj
Mohammed Siraj is the last seamer standing in this series. He was one of two fast bowlers picked for all five Tests, but Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the rest of this one, leaving Siraj out on his own. He is also now the leading wicket-taker in the series with 18, going past Ben Stokes (17) yesterday.
He has been speaking to Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports this morning - in a mixture of Hindi and English - and said that he loves leading the attack. "To be honest, I love responsibility," he says. "I am missing Jasi bhai because he is a senior bowler."
Karthik then acts as translator as he slips back into Hindi, and explains that Siraj says he wants to get to bed every night knowing that he has given everything he has to his team and his country every time he steps on the park for India. Siraj adds that his dismissal of Jacob Bethell yesterday with a full nip-backer was his favourite of the series.
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Will England rue their misses?
Yashasvi Jaiswal will resume his innings on 51 off 49 balls this morning but England will feel that they should have had him last night. Jaiswal was dropped at second slip by Harry Brook on 20, and again at long leg by Liam Dawson on 40, and rode his luck in tricky batting conditions. The sun is out in South London this morning, and Jaiswal will surely see this as a huge opportunity to set the game up for India.
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End of a 15-wicket day at The Oval
It has gone dark at The Oval. Pope has been given the option to bowl only spin and doesn't want to take it. He doesn't want to risk Bethell or Root against a set Jaiswal. That's stumps on day two with India leading by 52 runs.
Plenty of action on day two. Crawley Bazballed his way to a half-century. Brook then notched up a fifty of his own. As many as 15 wickets fell. Siraj and Prasidh shared eight wickets between them to turn this Oval Test into a one-innings showdown.
Leaving you with a teaser from the report.
Now this, party people, is what it is all about. We had to wait until the last Friday of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, but here it was. The best day’s play so far, has, at this juncture, put India in control, 75 for 2 in their second innings, leading by 52.
That it was day two of this fifth and final Test added to the spectacle. The jeopardy of it all felt keenly, a slalom through angst and nerves. Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul after two months out closed India’s first innings for 224. And the same man delivered the final meaningful act, removing Sai Sudharsan lbw, the last of Friday’s 15 wickets to fall.
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Sai Sudharsan gone
Around 20 minutes before stumps, Atkinson traps Sai Sudharsan lbw. He got a life on 7 when Crawley shelled a catch in the slips. He adds four to his tally before Atkinson skids one into the pads of Sudharsan. India lose their No.3 and a review. It seemed pretty adjacent, but Sudharsan burns a review. Was he baited into a review by England? Sudharsan and Duckett exchange some words before the India batter departs. Akash Deep in at No.4 as the Nighthawk.
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Fifty for Jaiswal
Jaiswal raises his fifty in grand style, with an upper-cut six over the cordon, despite the presence of deep third. After being dropped twice, he gets to the landmark off 44 balls. India's lead is also moving towards 50.
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Liam Dawson misses a chance off Yashasvi Jaiswal on 40!
What moment in the match!
Josh Tongue, in the seventh over of his spell, bumps Yashasvi Jaiswal who, in shot-a-ball mode, goes for the hook... and Liam Dawson, on as a sub-fielder for Chris Woakes, doesn't pick it up! It bursts through his hands and into the side of his face! A life for Jaiswal to go with his one on 20 when missed at second slip by Harry Brook.
And now Sai Sudharsan, on 7, is shelled by Zak Crawley at third slip! England have really lost their way in the field here. This has the feel of a match-losing mini-session. Ollie Pope decides to bring on Gus Atkinson at the Vauxhall End to replace Tongue, who bowled superbly well for his 1 for 25 in this spell.
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Tongue strikes! India 46 for 1, leading by 23
Our man Karthik makes a good point. Having been wayward as heck - while still taking 3 for 57 from 16 overs - Tongue, now in his fifth over from the Vauxhall End, is operating more steadily, on a far better consistent line.
The odd pearler is still in there, particularly to the right-handed KL Rahul, who has had his edge beaten a few times... and now he's taken the edge! Caught low by Joe Root at first slip!
KL tried to avoid it, but the ball got big on him, basically taking the face through to Root. Sai Sudharsan is the new man in, and Tongue has 1 for 16 from 4.5 overs. He now has 15 in the series - only Mohammed Siraj (18) and Ben Stones (17) have more...
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Brook drops Jaiswal on 20! India lead by 5...
It went sharply off the edge, but Harry Brook has been taking plenty recently.
This time, he can only push it over the bar, right off his finger tips, as Yashasvi Jaiswal has a thrash at a delivery from around the wicket off Gus Atkinson.
It has been a strange series for Jaiswal, starting with a century at Headingley, with an 87 and 58 among a few low starts and two ducks. But he has come out positively, driving crisply down the ground, showing a bit of touch and committing to cuts. All three were showcased in Atkinson's first over from the Pavilion End, which went for 12.
The first innings lead has already been knocked off. India are ahead...
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England 247 all out - lead by 23
It's that man Mohammed Siraj. Of course it is.
Harry Brook, once more, tries to fashion something into a gap but ends up playing a seaming delivery onto his stumps. A valiant knock ends on 53 from 64, having arrived at 142 for 3. That he has scored more than half of the 105 runs through to the end for the loss of six speaks to his own composure as those around him fell.
There are technically 36 overs to come, with play able to go through to 7:30pm BST with the extra half hour. Who knows what bad light is saying, or what the radar might have for us, but there's still plenty to come on an already gripping Friday...
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Harry Brook fifty!
It's come from 57 deliveries, which belies the fact that he has been protecting Josh Tongue since the pair were brought together three overs ago.
Brook gets there with a scampered two into extra cover, one of the few gaps he has actually been able to hit for the required even number runs in the four deliveries at the start of an over when he is not trying to pinch the strike for the next.
They almost mess up said routine when Brook dabs behind square, stutters before sprinting the first, before deciding against the second. However, Tongue is enough out of his crease on the way back to create a run out chance. The throw, from Sai Sudharsan, is high over Dhruv Jurel's head, giving Brook a window into making it back. But Tongue has given up altogether, leaving Brook scampering back to the bowler's end.
It is all happening here...
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News of the resumption...
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RAIN STOPS PLAY: England lead by 19 as the heavens open after Atkinson goes!
It's fine rain but England's first innings is circling the drain all the same.
Resuming after tea, Gus Atkinson was dropped by Mohammed Siraj in his follow-through on nought. It allowed the No.9 to tick the single to draw scores level, before dabbing to midwicket to put England into the lead.
He then chopped past gully and unfurled the crispest straight drive through mid off for four. Which then made his comical attempt at a pull for Prasidh Krishna's fourth wicket - caught easily by Akash Deep at mid on - all the more infuriating from an England perspective.
It really is now all on Harry Brook, with Josh Tongue. And it takes charge by ramp-sweeping Siraj for six into the stands in front of the away dressing room! He gives Tongue the last delivery of the over to face, which he keeps out.
The umpires, however, have decided the rain is now too persistent and have taken the players off. Floodlights sparked into life as the clouds loom. Let's hope the wind moves this along as soon as possible...
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Tea: Siraj, Krishna fire back for India in dramatic second session
England 215 for 7 (Crawley 64, Krishna 3-51, Siraj 3-66) trail India 224 (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33) by 9 runs
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a ball game. A spirited second session of day two from India - namely Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna has lit a fire under this fifth Test at the Kia Oval, leaving England 215 for 7 at tea, trailing by nine. Harry Brook, fiery on 33 not out, remains England's best hope of a worthwhile lead with England two wickets away from the end of their reply due to Chris Woakes' shoulder injury.
Three wickets each for Siraj and Krishna more or less overturned the domiance asserted by openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. They had propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, after Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul had capped India’s first innings at 224.
Any thoughts of that being underpar have been struck from the mind, primarily down to an eight-over spell from Mohammed Siraj that read 3 for 35, with stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, the prized wicket of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell seen off in the space of 12 overs of play.
All three were found wanting by Siraj’s late movement off the surface, with the slighest lack of bounce, from The Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion End. Pope’s required a review - despite striking the back pad plumb in front - before Root used one in vain to be dismissed for 29. Bethell simply walked.
Krishna could perhaps take an assist for Root’s wicket, having riled up the No.2 on the all-time Test runs chart. Having thrown a ball at Crawley upon fielding in his follow-through - the pair exchanged an immediate apology and acceptance, respectively - Krishna was in the book when Crawley failed to clear Ravindra Jadeja at midwicket for 64. He had earlier brought up his third half century of the series, and second in a row, from 42 deliveries.
Root arrived and the pair became embroiled in a back and forth which left England’s No.4 fuming. Krishna then relieved Siraj and took India through to the break with two wickets in five deliveries; as Jamie Smith nicked high to KL Rahul at second slip and Jamie Overton was trapped LBW for what proved to be the final ball of the sesson.
It was a complete sea change from the morning, which featured Atkinson 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India's first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.
It was all the more important after news this morning that Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.
Josh Tongue made the first key incision, albeit with a choatic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps - Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them - pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India's three reviews with him.
Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.
Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Krishna felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.
England's openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then "conventionally" ramping Mohammed Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.
Duckett fell to Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect.
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Siraj gets Root... and now Bethell!
A special spell from Mohammed Siraj keeps getting better... he's into his seventh over and having accounted for Ollie Pope, gets one to deck into Joe Root's knee roll from the Pavilion End!
And he's got a third LBW with a wobble seam delivery that opens up Jacob Bethell to such an extent that the left-hander walks without even thinking of a review.
India - and Siraj - have been exceptional in this session after losing the thread of the match in the first. Though they only need to get England nine down with no Chris Woakes, the hosts do bat deep, with only Josh Tongue to come without a first-class century to his name.
First up is Jamie Smith on his home ground, where he averages 44.12 in all first-class cricket, with four centuries. His only previous Test here, last year against Sri Lanka, brought a 67 which would be more than welcome in the circumstances.
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200 international wickets for Mohammed Siraj!
India needed a review, but they have their second - and it's stand-in captain Ollie Pope!
Why they needed to send that upstairs is beyond me, because it all looked very plumb. Mohammed Siraj, from slightly wider, darted one into Pope that kept low and struck him on the back pad. Three reds, unsurprisingly and Siraj is mobbed by his teammates.
He has been an absolute warrior all series, the only bowler still standing to have played all five Tests after Chris Woakes was ruled out of the match this morning with an injured shoulder. And there was no one better to get India's second wicket of a session that is already threatening to boil over.
And also no one better to walk out, particularly if you like your needle with extra spike. Harry Brook, Public Enemy No.1 if you like your tea fragrant and prefer Vegemite to the superior Marmite, strolls in, has one sighter and charges Siraj, inside-edging just past his stumps for four. Brook has done it enough now for Dhruv Jurel to stand up to the stumps. And now Brook has sliced a peculiar shot over cover, just out of the reach of Shubman Gill running to deep cover,
Even Joe Root was close to losing his head. The most genial bloke even when he's batting, was riled up by Prasidh Krishna, and gave a bit back when he threaded Krishna through backward point. We're not entirely sure what triggered it, but the legend that is Jomboy is on the case to determine what might have set this off.
In walks Harry Brook to calm
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India seek inspiration - and find it!
India huddled up after lunch, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope already inspecting the pitch ahead of the second session when they broke off once skipper Shubman Gill had delivered his speech.
Greater intensity and more bolshiness in the field must have been the call, because that's certainly what has been served up in the first 30 minutes. Though Crawley picked up where he left off with back-to-back fours down the ground off Akash Deep, Ollie Pope is clearly things a little calmer, in his own 'you don't look that calm' manner.
Prasidh Krishna, bowling with good pace, decided to try and elicit something, gathering a defensive push in his follow-through and hurling at the stumps. Crawley, right in front of them, wears it and takes the apology. Move on.
Except... did Crawley move on? A short ball from Krishna in the next over isn't as short as Crawley thinks, meaning his attempt to hit the boundary in front of the Archbishop Tenison School ends up going high rather than long... and lands in the clutches of Ravindra Jadeja running back from an orthodox midwicket.
Crawley goes for an engaging 64 from 57 as Joe Root strides to the crease...
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Lunch - Atkinson, Duckett, Crawley blitz India
England 109 for 1 (Crawley 52*, Duckett 43) trail by India 224 (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33) 115 runs
England have grabbed the fifth Test with both hands. In the space of 21.4 overs on day two, Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul snuffed out India’s first innings for 224, before a bombastic opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, trailing by just 115.
England’s openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Mohammed Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.
Duckett fell to Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect. Crawley was no slouch either, motoring on to a third half-century of the series in 42 deliveries, and second in a row after a tidy 84 in the fourth Test. This 24th score of fifty or more featured just four singles, with 12 fours, some along the ground, and three lifted serenely over cover.
Teeing up England’s speed run through to the break was Atkinson's 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India’s first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.
It was all the more important after news this morning that Chris Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.
It was Josh Tongue who made the first key incision, albeit with a choatic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps - Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them - pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.
Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.
Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh Krishna felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.
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Back Zak and don't crack
It's Zak Crawley's third fifty plus score of the series. A very welcome addition to that column given the sparsity in between those milestones.
By the way, Crawley and Ben Duckett, off the back of their stand of 92, have become the first opening pair in a decade to score more than 500 runs. Absurd.
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Third scoop unlucky! England 92 for 1
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Ben Duckett, 30* off 23...
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Dealing in boundaaries...
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No surprise to see Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley quick out of the blocks, albeit by staying put beyond meetings in the middle of the pitch at the end of the over.
England's openers have been quick on anything straight, wide, full or short, notably Duckett, who switched his hands to lift Akash Deep over the cordon for the first six of the match. Meanwhile, Crawley is driving like a dream, making good use of the extra bit of pace and carry off the surface.
Akash Deep, having opened with Mohammed Siraj, seems to be feeling his right shoulder. There's nothing to suggest it's really bad, but perhaps just a bit stiff.
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India 224 all out!
Gus Atkinson's fourth five-wicket haul saw England make light work of what remained of India’s first innings of this fifth Test, dismissing them for 224.
Atkinson’s 5 for 33 upon his return to the XI after two months out was all the more important after news this morning that Chris Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.
It was Josh Tongue who made the first key incision, albeit with a choatic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps - Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them - pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.
Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.
Atkinson would then skittle Mohammed Siraj before Prasidh Krishna felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. This is now the lowest first innings total of the series. The previous lowest was India's 358 at Manchester.
Atkinson now boasts an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.
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Tongue again! And Atkinson!
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I mean, it's hilarious at this point. Having conceded 10 from his first over - a boundary through the cordon to start day two, then a swinging delivery helped on its way down the leg side - Josh Tongue began his second over with another four byes fired down the leg side.
You have to feel for Jamie Smith at this point, who now has eight byes against him. But neither he nor England will care, as Tongue gets one right from over the wicket, fast and nipping in to hit the back pad of Karun Nair, plumb as you like for 57.
Five balls later, Washington Sundar, the other overnight batter having resumed on 19*, plays a truly moronic shot. As classy as he was last week, he fell right into England's trap, crisply striking a short ball, even rolling his wrists with the flourish at the end, straight into the hands of Jamie Overton at deep square leg.
Josh Tongue - if you can't handle him at his worst, you don't deserve him at his best #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/1Auq6oUFP2
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 1, 2025
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Breaking news from the BCCI...
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Matt Roller on Chris Woakes, as Tongue opens from the Vauxhall End
England’s statement this morning said that Chris Woakes has been ruled out of “any further participation” in this Test, presumably with bat as well as ball. That suggests that this is a serious injury, which must leave any hopes he harboured of leading England’s attack in Perth on November 21 hanging by a thread.
Woakes was not guaranteed to tour Australia in any case – he averages 52 across seven previous Tests there – and has signed a contract with MI Emirates in the ILT20 as a fallback option.
This injury begs the question as to whether this will turn out to be his last Test for England: he turned 36 in March and has had a quiet series, but if this does prove to be the end, it would be a sad finish to a fine career.
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A Day for Thorpey
Today will be a celebration of the life of England and Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe.
"A Day for Thorpe" will be a chance for all those in attendance at the Kia Oval, and beyond, to remember one of England's most charismatic cricketers, who took his own life on August 4 last year, at the age of 55.
The day is in support of mental health charity, Mind, on what would have been Thorpe's 56th birthday, who struggled with anxiety and depression for several years. As a classy left-handed batter, he played first-class cricket for Surrey and represented England in 100 Test matches. After retiring from playing, he took on various coaching roles within the sport for both Surrey and England.
Funds will be raised through the sale of a limited-edition headband which resembles what Thorpe wore when he was batting for England. The headbands have been co-designed with his family and will available to pre-order from Monday 21 July from shop.mind.org.uk and the Mind eBay store, and on sale at the Kia Oval Cricket ground on 1st August, for £5 each.
A JustGiving page and text to donate number* has also been set up for donations to A Day for Thorpey. To donate £5, £10 or £20 to Mind, text THORPEY5, THORPEY10 OR THORPEY20 to 70255.
Money raised from headband sales and donations for A Day for Thorpey will support the roll out of “Thorpey’s Bat and Chat”, a project across England and Wales, in partnership with county cricket foundations and the charity’s network of local Minds.
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Today's playing conditions
We will make up for Day 1's rain with some extended play on Day 2.
While the morning session will be the same, the second session will run for an extra 15 minutes, meaning tea will be taken at 3:55pm BST. The final session will then run from 3:15pm to 6:30pm, with the extra half hour taking us through to 7pm to complete the 98 overs scheduled.
Strap in!
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Thank Anderson-Tendulkar it's Friday!
Welcome one and all to the last Friday of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Day two sets to have a lot in store for us, particularly with better weather. The sun's already out this morning and India will resume in half-an-hour on 204 for 6.
I'm afraid it's bad news to start. England seamer Chris Woakes has been rule out of the Test after suffering what we suspect is a dislocated right shoulder.
This finale is already devoid of a few names, and now we have to add Woakes to that list. His statistics have been nothing major to write home about but he’s been a constant with the new ball throughout the series and will undoubtedly be missed as England seek these final four wickets.
They weren’t great yesterday, though India probably lost two more wickets than they’d have liked. Karun Nair's experience in these conditions has certainly come to the fore, and he'll resume on 52 not out.
Somehow, a chaotic Josh Tongue has probably given Ollie Pope’s more of an edge than they should have heading into day one. Gus Atkinson should be credited for his frugality, which allowed Tongue room to paint.
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Stumps: India 204 for 6
After four Tests on flat pitches that took each of them to the brink and counted among its casualties - Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah - The Oval which has been profoundly seam-friendly in recent times provided a margin of error. England bowled like they needed it, there were 30 extras but also six wickets and just 204 runs. The bowlers finally got what was due to them.
India came to the ground facing humongous odds. But they beat them. The probability of losing a 15th toss in a row was 32728 to 1. There’s a chance unicorns are easier to find than a coin that will fall the way Shubman Gill wants it to.
England got first use of a pitch with 8mm or grass on it and their fast bowlers benefited from the weather in more than one way. Rain through most of the afternoon helped keep their legs fresh and the threat of it, hanging over the entire day, created overhead conditions that were perfect for swing and seam. Only 64 overs were possible but there was enough help to bowl a team out. England’s lack of discipline is the reason why India are still standing. That and Karun Nair scoring a Test fifty after 3149 days dreaming of one. His hopes of becoming a permanent fixture in this batting line-up are still alive, with England lending a helping hand by not bowling enough in the channel outside his off stump.
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Nair fifty
His comeback was unlikely. But he scored too many runs in domestic cricket to be ignored. He's looked good in virtually every innings of this tour - bar that second innings at Lord's where lightmare stuck - but didn't quite have the big score to show for his efforts.
Now he does. It's only a fifty but in these conditions those are worth much more.
3149 Sampath Bandarupalli: Days between Test fifties for Karun Nair, the second longest such gap for India in this format (excluding the World War II gap)
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Woakes in real pain
He is clutching his left shoulder and is struggling to sit up. He sustained the damage chasing a ball to the long-off boundary off Karun Nair's bat. To his credit, he stopped it from reaching the boundary, but as he went over, he wasn't able to steady himself and immediately knew he was in trouble. England cannot afford to lose Woakes. Without him, this seam attack only has 18 caps' experience.
Woakes leaves the field with his arm in his sweater which has been modeled into a makeshift sling - signs of a break.
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Missing Anderson
Nagraj Gollapudi: James Anderson turned 43 on Wednesday. Even at this age, if he was at the Oval, today, you could bet one thing: England’s best fast bowler of many generations would have not let go waste the seamer-friendly concitions prevailing throughout the day. He would have probed and probed and probed that off stump channel while keeping batters guessing on the in-ducker. And to intensify that scrutiny, the wobble ball would have been put to use effectively by being used sparingly.
England will be e happy that they have the opportunity to bowl India out under 200, but if they are honest, they will know that their bowlers have struggled for discipline. They have failed to stick to the channel, straying wide outside off stump instead or slipping straighter ones every over. This is the first time India’s batters have been confronted by true English conditions: overcast skies, a relatively lively pitch with good carry. While there has not been a 50 so far by a single batter, India will think if they can breach 200, they are still in the game.
Anderson would have hated to waste such an opportunity. No wonder we love watching him bowl, however grumpy he was.
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Jurel gone
Just reward for Atkinson. He's been the pick of the England bowlers. He thought he had his man when he padded up to an inswinger, but DRS revealed it hadn't come back enough. The very next ball, Jurel plays a loose shot outside the off stump and gets caught at second slip. Today's been a very cagey day's cricket with mistakes on both sides. England are ahead because they've had the benefit of first use of a green pitch. Strap in for a low-scorer.
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Nair steady
Karun Nair has enjoyed a stay where England have bowled very wide at him. There were a couple of nice defensive shots, soft hands, bat close to the body, but aside from that he's either been leaving the ball or driving at every opportunity. Doesn't look completely set, but that could be said of every batter in these conditions. England a little bit lucky given the way they've bowled to have five wickets to their name.
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Boundaries & wickets
Josh Tongue... AGAIN!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025
Another ripper and this time it's Ravindra Jadeja who goes.
pic.twitter.com/snNc7xCUY1
Josh Tongue in microcosm
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Jadeja's gone for 9, another unplayable delivery, can't leave alone, but once you play you open the outside edge up to the away seamer.
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Sai Sudharsan gone
Josh Tongue has produced an absolute seed.
An absolute beauty from Josh Tongue
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025
It's too good for Sai Sudharsan, who edges to Jamie Smith behind the stumps.
pic.twitter.com/fhMFOqpgKn
Take Chris Woakes aside and this seam attack has 18 caps put together. The pitch and the conditions are asking them to step up. All through these 35 overs, there's been a sense that if someone is consistent enough to hit the area around the off stump line, there's wickets on offer.
Just that Tongue with his idiosyncratic action, arms going all over the place, and his issues with a wet landing area that is the worst thing for a fast bowler because it makes them run in less hard, has not been the biggest threat.
All of a sudden though he produces the unplayable delivery - angled in, jagging away to get a batter who has been leaving the ball very well (51 balls) out caught behind.
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Familiar surrounds
Matt Roller: Karun Nair has good recent memories at The Oval, scored 150 here for Northants in 2023 and forced a Surrey team featuring Sai Sudharsan to follow-on
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Long session ahead
Long night for India fans with the final session set to go through to midnight. They might suffer the grogginess that comes with it gamely if Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan can see the team through without any further loss. Both players have a lot to prove.
Perhaps it's a return to familiar surrounds - Sai Sudharsan calls this home in county cricket - but he's looking very solid. So much so that a pigeon flying right across the pitch doesn't distract him from presenting a very straight bat to a very dangerous inswinger.
Again it is noticeable how he isn't falling over anymore. That inswinger in particular could easily have robbed him of his balance. Instead, he reads it well, drags his front foot out of the way and blocks it superbly. It raises the question, is this the real Sai Sudharsan? And the version that we saw earlier in this series, getting strangled down the leg side, was just a batter suffering nerves as he begins a Test career.
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Tea: India 85 for 3
Shubman Gill has been the man all through this tour and once again he was able to tick off a record - most runs by an India captain in a Test series - but his poor luck with the toss continued and just as he was helping get his team past that disadvantage he was run-out for his first score past 20 and under 100 since arriving in England, meaning he had gotten a start and, against the odds, gave it away. Ten balls later, the rain came and swept everyone back into the dressing room. It was as untimely as a wicket could ever be, leaving India at 85 for 3.
B Sai Sudharsan was the batter at the other end, and although he took a step forward, there was no way he was going to make it across for a single. Of all the ways to get out on a pitch with 8mm of grass and consistent sideways movement - both swing and seam. India were negotiating all that well for the most part. Gus Atkinson, returning to the fold after just a second XIs game to judge his fitness, was the single biggest threat from England. He took down Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth over and had a part to play in the Gill run-out as well - quick to spot the opportunity in his followthrough and nailing a direct hit at the keeper's end.
England went into the Oval Test with a vastly changed bowling attack, Chris Woakes the unlikely survivor despite playing all five matches. Ben Stokes was out with injury. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were rested and the replacements didn't seem quite up for it. Josh Tongue gave away 11 runs in wides in his first over and Jamie Overton's first three overs cost more than five runs apiece. Atkinson was keeping them in it, his first spell a wonderful example of how to keep it simple and reap the rewards on offer. He pitched the ball up, kept a tight line around off stump and walked away with figures of 6-1-7-1.
India, though, were recovering from that. Sai Sudharsan was leaving the ball well - a marked improvement from the last Test where he was out for a duck leaving the ball to second slip - and seemed better equipped to handle balls aimed at his body as well. He is 28 off 84, having played some gorgeous drives down the ground. There were only six overs bowled in the middle session due to rain interruptions but that was still enough to cause a significant dent to India, whose hopes now lie with one batter who made his debut on this tour and another on the comeback trail which might not have a lot of trail left. Karun Nair, brought back in place of Shardul Thakur, was unbeaten on 0 off 8 at tea.
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Raining again
React. Pick-up. Strike.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025
Clinical from Gus Atkinson pic.twitter.com/aM3RbgBvjp
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Ten balls after India lose their captain, the rain sweeps everyone back into the dressing rooms. Karun Nair can heave a small sigh of relief. He is a batter trying to keep his Test career alive. England are a team with the tails up.
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Gill run-out
All this series, Gill has either fallen below 20 or gone on to score a hundred. He was looking good here too. And he's thrown it away looking for a quick single. There are plenty of ways of getting out in conditions like these. With rain around. With the ball nipping all over. With the series at the fag end. Gill blocks well. Then rushes halfway down for a non-existent run because he hadn't placed the ball wide of the bowler's followthrough. Atkinson, who has had a lovely return to Tests, continues that by nailing a direct hit. Now if the rain comes - and its expected to come - India will feel very annoyed. That was a needless wicket, five overs after a rain break.
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Play resumes
Gill and Sai Sudharsan are having a breezy old time in the middle at the moment. There's help on offer - the Indian captain was squared up twice in the three overs since resumption - but strangely England have decided to bowl really short and it's looking really easy to deal with.
3271 Sampath Bandarupalli: India's aggregate in this series, which is their highest in Test cricket, going past a record set in 1978-79 when they played six matches against West Indies
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Restart at 3pm
Hooooorraaaaaay.
Afternoon session - 3pm - 5.05pm
Tea interval - 5.05pm - 5.25pm
Evening session - 5.25pm - 7pm plus extra 30 mins for overs not bowled
Tea interval - 5.05pm - 5.25pm
Evening session - 5.25pm - 7pm plus extra 30 mins for overs not bowled
Just as long as the rain stays away.
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Inspection at 2.30pm
That's 7pm IST. That sudden squall that caught everyone off guard must have done some damage. And a couple of times - Overton and Woakes - England's fielders chasing the ball to the boundary kicked up a fair bit of water. A little bit more rain on the radar as well later on. So we continue waiting.
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Sai is solid
Rain has stopped. Inspection at 2pm local time (6.30pm IST). Meanwhile...
34 balls that Sai Sudharsan has left alone in this innings, almost half of the 67 he's faced
He was caught trying to leave in the second innings in Manchester. He was caught down the leg side in Headingley. Here he's looked to correct both of those. He hasn't adopted the bat-up technique just yet. But he has done better in stopping himself falling across his stumps. It seems he's waiting for the ball a bit better, not committing his front foot across.
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Lunch: India 72 for 2
A sudden downpour in London forced India and England back into the changerooms early after 23 overs of play at The Oval. Shubman Gill, having lost the toss yet again, was in the middle dealing with challenging batting conditions but profiting thanks to a drop in the quality of bowling among the opposition. The visitors went to the break at 72 for 2.
Gus Atkinson, one of four changes for England, acquitted himself very well, playing his first Test two months. He provided the first breakthrough, trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw in the fourth over of the day. The on-field decision was not-out prompting stand-in captain Ollie Pope to review and finally get one right. He had not had any luck with his previous 14 calls but this one was perfect. Atkinson finished the session with figures of 6-1-7-1.
KL Rahul was solid again but fell for 14 off 40. With 8mm of grass left on the pitch and most of the session taking place under overcast skies, the batters were very careful when the ball was pitched up in the 4-6m area but anything either side they knew they had to attack. Chris Woakes bowled short but not wide enough for the cut. Rahul went for the shot because of the pressure that had been built - England had given only five runs in the previous six overs - and was bowled off the inside edge.
That brought Gill to the middle and he ticked past 732 runs, which means he has the most runs by an India captain over a Test series. Sai Sudharsan was at the other end, looking solid as well and exposing the drop offs between Archer and Stokes, who couldn't play this game, and Josh Tongue (11 runs in wides in his first over) and Jamie Overton (3-0-16-0) who replaced them. A portion of the bowlers' struggle was also because the landing area didn't seem sturdy enough after the overnight rain.
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Gill goes past Gavaskar
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These are overs 20 to 23. Gill's punished the short and wide. Sai Sudharsan nailed a perfect straight drive. The sun has come out. If India go to lunch just two down, they might not hate it.
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Foothold issues
Seems it's tough for the bowlers too. The rain overnight - and a little bit this morning - has resulted in an outfield that's not the easiest to work with. The landing area for the fast bowlers at one end is creating problems as well. Josh Tongue wasn't happy with it and now Jamie Overton who has replaced Tongue isn't happy with it either.
England have had to go to their change bowlers with Shubman Gill new at the crease. His decision to bat a foot, foot and a half outside his crease, is messing with Chris Woakes' ability to target bowled and lbw because he has to pull his length back and from there, with the bounce on offer, it's hard to hit the top of off.
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Rahul gone
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Beautiful build up of pressure. Five runs in six overs between the 9.2 and 15.1. There could have been more but Sai Sudharsan inside edged a short ball instead of clattering it to the boundary. Both batters are very careful the moment the length is in the 4-6m mark. When it's fuller than that, or shorter than that, they feel compelled to attack and Rahul chooses one that's too close to cut and inside edges onto his stumps. 14 off 40.
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Rahul battles
3 Shubh Agarwal: Indian openers to face 1000-plus balls in a Test series in England - KL Rahul joins Sunil Gavaskar and M Vijay
Rahul is doing everything right once again, playing late and under his eyes and concentrating on the ball hitting bat, forcing nothing. But the fact that even he is looking a little vulnerable highlights the scale of the challenge batters are facing. The lights had to be switched on inside 10 overs. It's that gloomy. And that 8mm grass cover gives the quicks plenty to work with.
Even when the ball doesn't pitch, it brings batters down to their knees as Sai Sudharsan finds out. It's that technique again, to the inswinging delivery, he's falling over already when he makes contact with Josh Tongue's ball, a crucial inside edge saving him from lbw
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Atkinson's discipline
Nothing short. Nothing wide. Even with India having a right-left combination. Gus Atkinson has been very switched on this morning.
Josh Tongue is a different story. A more believable story of a bowler making a comeback.
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It appears he was losing his footing at the worst point - when his front foot slammed down at the end of his bowling action - which was wrecking his release. A bit of sawdust helps solves that problem and the over ends with a beauty, angled in and nipping away from Sai Sudharsan's outside edge.
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Sai's under fire
England have leg slip for Sai Sudharsan and they're making sure to keep the line very straight. Chris Woakes has even tried digging it into him even though this new ball is responding to being pitched up.
Sudharsan's technique - where his bat stays down until the moment the bowler releases the ball - tilts his balance towards the off side. So when his hands have to come around to balls at his hips, he's falling over and contact isn't always perfect.
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Jaiswal mostly up, a little down
Jaiswal's had a tricky series. Started it with a century. Almost backed it up with another but fell for 87. At that time it looked like he was reprising his work from his previous time playing against England, when he made 712 runs in five games. But a couple of low scores followed and he now has 293 at an average of 36. It's not bad but he would've wanted more.
A batting technique that is repeatable and a hunger for runs that is enduring. That combination makes him able to play in whatever gear he likes. He might regret falling for 58 in Manchester to Liam Dawson. Can't really fault him for getting out early here. It's very bowler-friendly at the moment.
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Jaiswal gone
Early strike - which was odds on favourite in these conditions - but Gus Atkinson has definitely earned this with the lengths that he's bowled. Unerringly full. Even Chris Woakes, the senior pro at the other end, has been a bit short, letting India go on the back foot. Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn't get that luxury in the fourth over. He has to come forward. The wobble seam decks in to strike him in front. The on-field umpire wasn't sure. Ollie Pope called for a review and after getting 14 of those wrong, he gets this one perfect.
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Fast bowling front and centre
8 mm grass left on the pitch at The Oval. This Test match probably isn't going into the final session of the final day
Gus Atkinson gives a good account of himself on his return after hamstring injury. He didn't really have a lot of build-up along his way to playing at The Oval. Just a Surrey second XIs game. But his first over was fully on point, comfortably dealing with a right-left opening partnership and confidently pitching the ball up to both Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, which is what the conditions are demanding of him. Pace was in the late 130-early 140kph.
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Toss: England bowl
A 15th successive toss refused to go India's way and they will have start the deciding game of an engrossing series by doing a bit of heavy lifting. The conditions in London were overcast. The pitch was green. Ollie Pope, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes, had no hesitation in choosing to bowl.
Shubman Gill, who admitted tongue in cheek, that the toss was the thing that he was thinking about the most, called heads again, as he has done all tour, and it let him down for one last time at The Oval. He confirmed four changes for India - three expected with Jasprit Bumrah (workload management), Rishabh Pant (broken foot) and Anshul Kamboj (rookie) sitting out - for Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel and a fully fit Akash Deep. The final one though appeared to be tactical with a batter Karun Nair replacing allrounder Shardul Thakur, who only bowled 27 overs across two Tests.
England had already announced their XI with Stokes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse making way for Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson. This is the 22nd first-class match (and fourth Test) at The Oval since May 2023. In 22 out of 22, the captain who has won the toss has chosen to bowl first. The reason for that is the amount of help the fast bowlers have got out of this pitch. Since the start of 2023, seamers have taken 617 wickets and spinners have taken 79.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Jamie Overton, 11 Josh Tongue
India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Karun Nair, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Mohammed Siraj
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Poll question
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England's transition
In a reminder of what England may miss...
Ben Stokes is injured. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse is rested. Chris Woakes has been pressed back into service because without him the other three fast bowlers - Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton - have a combined experience of 18 caps between them.
The conditions might come to their aid - London's grey and overcast - and the pitch might come to their aid too - it's got a fair bit of fresh grass still on it despite a last minute trimming. Very much a bowl-first morning and plenty of help expected for the quicks - even the inexperienced ones.
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Welcome
Four Tests that have all gone into the final hour's play - this series began with no one knowing what to expect. India had a new captain. England were refining their style of play. Evidence of both being good things have now come to pass and now there is real jeopardy with the scoreline 2-1 and injuries hampering the team in the lead. Welcome to the Oval where it's all one the line.
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