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The Kia Oval, Day 3, of the Fifth Rothesay Test, is the fifth one.
India 224 (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33, Tongue 3-57) &, 396 (Jaiswal 118, Tongue 5-125)
England 247 (Crawley 64, Brook 53, Krishna 4-62, Siraj 4-86) &, 50-1 (Siraj 1-11)
To win, England needs 324 runs.
After England had made steady progress in the chase of an impressive 374 in the fifth Test against India at The Oval, Zak Crawley was dismissed from the final ball of day three.
Mohammed Siraj won the opener for 14 as the hosts drew within 50-1 at the break, needing 324 more runs to win, with 34 runs scored for Ben Duckett, ending a gripping day.
After spending the majority of the day playing in front of brighter skies, India racked up 396 in the wake of Crawley’s departure, England will benefit from the much improved batting conditions.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sublime 118 is the highlight for tourists because it flattens and offers less seam movement.
Akash Deep added 107 for the third wicket with Jaiswal in a surprise maiden Test debut, which saw England struggle to get past the nightwatchman until the final ten minutes before lunch.
As England’s makeshift bowling line-up, which did not feature the injured Chris Woakes, toile admirably but were once more let down in the field, Deep was put down on 21 of the six dropped catches in the innings.
As England improved, Gus Atkinson pinched captain Shubman Gill for 12 with the first ball after lunch, but Ravindra Jadeja kept his excellent form with 53 and Washington Sundar blitzed four sixes in a 39-ball fifty to give India the lead.
Josh Tongue finished with 5-125 for his sincere efforts, having also dismissed Jaiswal earlier, and took the final three wickets.
Siraj’s successful start to England is ruined.
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Crawley and Duckett’s fifty-run stand appeared just as assured despite not quite matching their 92-over partnership’s explosiveness in the first innings.
India initially used boundary riders at cover and square legs to encircle the flow of boundaries, but they continued to pick up gaps while maintaining a calm strike.
However, Siraj’s remarkable fitness to have won all five Tests so far, along with the discussions surrounding Jasprit Bumrah, gave them the lead into day four.
Crawley was too late for India’s jubilation when a full delivery angled in at his toes, but despite being favorites, they will be wary of England’s track record.
With the circumstances favoring the batters after two bowler-friendly days, it will be difficult for their Headingley heroics and a chase of 378 in 2022 to stay in India’s minds.
The pitch has yet to show any signs of favoring spin for Jadeja and Washington, and they only have three seamers, Deep, Krishna, and Siraj, who were all expensive in the first innings.
England’s sloppy mornings are punished by Deep and Jaiswal.
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India had a 52-run lead at the start of the day, and the sun was shining for the best batting conditions in the Test so far.
Jaiswal, who had to be put down on 20 and 40 late in day three, took a backseat as England’s unlikely archrival, Deep.
In the opening hour, England bowled far too little, and Crawley missed a chance in the slips, but Deep’s half-century was a well-deserved punishment.
With Deep caught in the covers for 66, Overton’s breakthrough, which came just before lunch, gave hope to a comeback.
The imperious Jaiswal remained, surviving from 127 balls to record his second century of the series as a masterful punishment for England’s inconsistency. They bowled far too short and wide to him collectively, as evidenced by 72 of his 100 runs being scored behind square on the other side.
Weary bowlers struggle, but tired players toil.
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After lunch, England reacted favorably by tightening their lines and receiving the three wickets of Gill, Nair, and Jaiswal, but Jadeja once more became the team’s thorn in the second-innings.
The all-rounder finished the series with 516 runs, an average of 86, sharing stands of 44 with Jaiswal and 50 with Dhruv Jurel at his fifth season.
For the first time in the series’ two innings, Jadeja was dismissed in a final ball, and India’s lead was 334. This was a significant challenge, but it was achievable for an England batting line-up known for embracing such chases.
Two balls later, Tongue pinched Siraj as they attempted to end the match at a canter, but Washington, who was on 17 from 23 balls when the ninth wicket fell, had other ideas.
In a potentially match-winning partnership, England oddly went back to bowling short as he whacked four enormous sixes to half-century.
With little employment available for part-time spinners Joe Root and Jacob Bethell, who were already bowlers-down after Woakes’ shoulder injury on day one, stand-in captain Ollie Pope had little other options but to work his seamers relentlessly.
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“We are really confident,” is the response.
If we get the runs, it will be a fantastic day of cricket and for us. It is moving in some.
“A few balls jumped off a good length tonight, but who knows if you’ll make it to the first hour?”
Yashasvi Jaiswal, the centurion of India, said, “I was always enjoying the pressure.”
“It is going well, and it’s not easy on this wicket because I’ve batted a lot,” he said.
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- England Men’s Cricket Team
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