CHENNAI: Before getting down to the period of play that changed the fate of the Oval Test, here is what England captain Joe Root and his team thought when they entered the stadium at the start of Day 5.“We felt we had an opportunity to win,” said Root.
Surely, England sensed a chance here. Batting isn’t their strong suit, but there hasn’t been a flatter pitch throughout this English summer. By already adding 77 without no loss in pursuit of 368 on Day 4 evening in 32 overs, England had not only got the start they needed but also blunted the new ball. So on Day 5, needing 10 wickets, under clear skies, India had a semi-old ball to operate with. The second new ball was too far away to begin with, meaning if they didn’t get wickets at regular intervals, there was a serious threat of England taking a 2-1 lead going into Manchester.
So for even India to be in the game with conditions not in their favour, they had to show patience on this pitch. In the years that this Indian attack has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of bowling coach Bharat Arun, they are amongst the sharpest and shrewdest around. Their planning in the dressing room is so concrete that they have drilled it into the bowlers’ mind to take conditions out of the equation. That they restricted England to 290 in the first innings in itself was a commendable job.
To do so again on Monday, with two tiring pacers in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj wasn’t going to be easy. So England, despite losing Rory Burns and Dawid Malan in the first session, came out positively in the second session in search of taking the game forward from 131/2. The ball was 59 overs old and the next 21 overs were going to dictate which way this Test was heading and an Indian win was the last of the three possibilities at that stage.
And when Root started the second session by reverse-sweeping Ravindra Jadeja for boundary off the first ball, the message was loud and clear. If India needed to get home, they needed to dislodge Root, who has scored 932 runs so far against Kohli & Co this year. On this pitch it was a herculean ask. The other route was to dismantle the rest. Which was possible, but needed a few special deliveries. When Jadeja bowled Haseeb Hameed for 63 in the third over after lunch, India got the opening they needed, and by now the 60-over-old ball was beginning to reverse a little. It was the last throw of the dice.
With Jadeja and Burmah operating simultaneously, India had the chance to build pressure through dot balls. Caught between attack and defence, England, for the first time in this innings, looked a bit vulnerable. Which is when Bumrah put his hand up and bowled two deliveries that not just changed the course of the Test but possibly the series too. First, Ollie Pope was beaten for pace as the ball swung back in to disturb the stumps. England 146-4. In came Jonny Bairstow, who could be dangerous with his strokeplay. Nine straight dot balls followed before Bumrah, off the third ball of his next over, delivered a yorker that castled the middle and leg stump. And in the next over, Jadeja had Moeen Ali as England went from 100-0 to 147-6. From there on, only one result was possible as India went 2-1 up with a 157-run win.
Decisive moments of the final day
India won two Tests in a series in England for the first time since 1986. A look at some of the talking points after a heady Day 5 at The Oval in London on Monday...
Bumrah’s reverse
What really broke open the match for India was Jasprit Bumrah’s reverse swing. In a spell where he gave away just eight runs in six overs after lunch, he castled both Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow with balls that hooped back in.
Thakur’s golden arm
If Sunday was his day with the bat, he struck two golden blows with the ball on Monday. After removing the obdurate Rory Burns to give India the first breakthrough, he came back before tea to remove England skipper Joe Root.
England approach
While the hosts were perhaps right to start the day on a cautious note, the initial wickets betrayed their two minds. Dawid Malan was dismissed when he went in search of a non-existent single while Haseeb Hameed was bowled trying to negotiate Ravindra Jadeja off the rough.
Kohli vindicated
The skipper was panned for his decision to not play R Ashwin but he has been vindicated in his calls. Both Ravindra Jadeja and Thakur, who may have sat out if Ashwin was playing, have handsomely contributed with both and ball. He also made a conscious decision to stick with the old ball.
SCoreboard
India 1st innings 191; England 1st innings 290; India 2nd innings: 466; England 2nd innings (overnight 77/0): Burns c Pant b Thakur 50, Hameed b Jadeja 63, Malan (run out) 5, Root b Thakur 36, Pope b Bumrah 2, Bairstow b Bumrah 0, Ali c sub b Jadeja 0, Woakes c Rahul b Umesh 18, Overton b Umesh 10, Robinson (not out) 10, Anderson c Pant b Umesh 2; Extras (b-2 lb-5, nb-7): 14; Total (all out, 92.2 ovs): 210; FoW: 1-100, 2-120, 3-141, 4-146, 5-146, 6-147, 7-182, 8-193, 9-202; Bowling: Umesh 18.2-2-60-3, Bumrah 22-9-27-2, Jadeja 30-11-50-2, Siraj 14-0-44-0, Thakur 8-1-22-2.