The fifth and final Test match between India and England will begin on Thursday, July 31, marking their final meeting of the summer. Although the hosts are ahead 2-1, they would be devastated not to have won the series at Old Trafford, where India pulled off a valiant draw after batting out an incredible 143 overs—an performance that is unheard of in contemporary cricket. The last Test match of the series will be played at London's Kennington Oval.
In comparison to their records at other English venues, the Indians have a respectable record at The Oval. Since 1936, India has won two of their fifteen Test matches at The Oval; their most recent triumph occurred in 2021. They have managed to draw seven Test matches while losing six. Three of India's defeats at the venue have been by an innings, and their first victory ever was here in 1971.
India’s last Test at The Oval was the WTC Final against Australia in June 2023 – match they lost by 209 runs. But in September 2021, when Virat Kohli was captain of India, they played England at the venue. Despite Kohli's half-century, the visitors had a difficult start to the Test match as they were reduced to 127/7 in the first innings.
Shardul Thakur's 57-run knock off 36 balls helped India reach 191 runs. In response, England scored 290 runs after rallying from 62/5, helped by half-centuries from Chris Woakes (50) and Ollie Pope (81) as well as important contributions from Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow.
In challenging conditions, the hosts had a dominating advantage of 99 runs. With opener Rohit Sharma producing a brilliant century, his first in the format outside of Asia, India's seasoned players came through when they needed them most. With KL Rahul and Kohli getting 46 and 44 runs, respectively, and players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, and Thakur (again) scoring fifties, India put on an incredible batting performance.
The visitors scored 466 runs before being bowled out, setting a target of 368 runs for England, all thanks to these amazing efforts. The host team got off to a strong start with 100 runs added by their openers, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed, but they quickly fell apart soon after and were dismissed for 210 runs by India's bowling unit.
Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, India, who have only won two Test matches at The Oval, would be looking to make history and level the five-match Test series.
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