When the game started on the fifth day, the speculation of the fourth test match was being made that perhaps the host could have won from here or else it could go towards a draw. Where the speculation of defeat was almost negligible as all the wickets of the host were still remaining. But this is the specialty of Test cricket, where a team was completely on the back foot in the first four days of the match, on the fifth day, India defeated the host by 157 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Two top-class teams who did not accept defeat easily, took the game of Test cricket to a different level. With ball and bat, India turned the game on the fourth and fifth day of the match and snatched the victory from the clutches of the host.
Where hosts England won the toss and invited India once again to bat first on the Oval pitch where the swing bowlers had a lot of support and they got a tremendous advantage due to which India's score was restricted to 127 runs for 7 wickets at one point in the first innings. Returning to the Test match after the good early start, which India’s batsmen were unable to convert into a big score, Shardul Thakur played a 36-ball 57 to help India reach a modest 191 runs in the first innings.
Chris Woakes (4) returning to England after a long time and series successful bowler so far Ollie Robinson (3) shared 7 wickets together. In response to India's low score, the host's 5 wickets fell for just 62 runs. But due to the innings of Ollie Pope (81) and Chris Woakes (50), the host scored 290 runs in his first innings. England had a lead of 99 runs and there was little hope of defeat for England from here because of the way India had batted in the first innings. But India decided the course of the match and the result of the series due to the second innings, after being dismissed early in the first innings, India scored 466 runs in the second innings.
In giving India the lead, from Rohit Sharma’s century to the innings of Lokesh Rahul, Chestwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant and Shradul Thakur are also included. Where England has to bat four sessions to win or save the match. England had scored 77 runs at the end of the fourth day without losing any wickets.
Where England needed 291 runs on the last day of the Oval Test, on the other hand India needed 10 wickets to win the match. England’s opening pair tried to take the match on an exciting turn by adding 100 runs, but within the next 47 runs, England had lost its six batsmen and the score was 6 wickets for 147 runs. After taking the remaining four wickets within the next 63 runs, India beat the hosts by 157 runs. On the last day of the match where dangerous reverse swing was seen by Indian bowlers.
To which no batsman of England had the answer and reverse swing reminded of the decade of 90s when bowler like Wasim Akram used to blow away the senses of the batsmen in the same way with their stormy bowling.
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