Centuries from Harry Brook (111) and Joe Root (105) have powered England to within 35 runs of a record-breaking win over India, as the fifth and final Test at The Oval heads into a thrilling final day.
Chasing 374, England ended Day 4 at 339/6 in 76.2 overs, needing just 35 more to claim a 3-1 series win. India, however, still have a chance to square the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2, needing four wickets on the final day.
Brook–Root Counterattack Dents India’s Defence
Brook and Root came together at 108/3 and stitched a blistering 195-run stand that took the game away from India in the middle two sessions. Brook's 111 off 98 balls — his tenth Test hundred — was full of flair and aggression, especially after a lucky escape on 19 when Siraj caught him at the boundary but stepped on the rope.
Root, meanwhile, was all class as he brought up his 39th Test ton. His innings, marked by precise strokeplay and patience, helped England recover after losing Ben Duckett (54) and Ollie Pope (27) earlier in the day.
India Hit Back Late, Morkel Reflects on Crucial Breakthrough
Just as England looked set for a smooth finish, Prasidh Krishna removed both Root and Jacob Bethell, triggering a late Indian fightback. With Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton at the crease and struggling to score, India had clawed back some momentum when bad light and then rain halted play.
In the series so far, there have been moments like that where it's sort of up and down, and we finally managed to break the partnership, which is great and it was important for us. It's almost quite tough for the new batter to start even if it’s looking flat. We managed to get a bit of something on the ball... Unfortunately, the rain came in and we have to come back tomorrow.
He added that the players were determined to keep pushing: “You can’t really afford to throw in the towel in a very important Test match. We’ve seen it before — if you get one, you can easily get one or two more. It wasn’t about hard words or big talk; it was just staying calm and working hard to get the ball in the right areas."
Fifth Day Finish Looms
All five Tests in this gripping series have gone into the final day — and The Oval is set for another classic. A chase of 374 would be the highest successful chase at the ground in over a century, while an Indian win would be among their finest comebacks in recent history.
Brief Scores: India 224 & 396 lead England 247 & 339/6 in 76.2 overs (Brook 111, Root 105; Prasidh 3-109, Siraj 2-95) by 35 runs.
