Arjit Kumar - Monday, Aug 04, 2025ENG vs IND 5th Test: India has won the fifth Test match between England and India at Kennington Oval by 6 wickets. With this win, India has leveled the five-match Test series 2-2. Experienced bowler Mohammed Siraj played an important role in India's victory in the match. India needed 4 wickets to win today, out of which Siraj alone took 3 wickets. He also took a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
In fact, 21 centuries were scored in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. These include four centuries by Shubman Gill, three centuries by Joe Root, two centuries each by KL Rahul, Harry Brook, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes and Washington Sundar scored one century each. In this way, this series equaled a Test series of 1955. In 1955, 21 centuries were scored in the Test series during Australia's tour of West Indies. At the same time, in this series, both the teams together scored 300+ 14 times. This is the first time since 1928/29 that scores of 300 or more were scored 14 times in a Test series. This also happened 14 times in the Ashes series in 1928/29.
The fourth day's play ended today on 3 August in the fifth Test match between England and India being played at Kennington Oval. So, after the end of the day, this Test match has reached an exciting turn.
At stumps, England needs 35 runs to win, while India needs four wickets. Currently, England has scored a total of 332 runs at the loss of 6 wickets after batting for 76.2 overs in the second innings before the game was halted due to rain on the fourth day. Jamie Smith 2* and Jamie Overton 0* are currently at the crease.
Injured all-rounder Chris Woakes will be available to bat on the last day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy decider at the Oval if England need him. Woakes suffered a shoulder injury on the first day and has not taken the field since then, but he is ready to play at number 11 if England need him to chase the remaining 35 runs to win the series. He still has four wickets left.
When England were chasing the target, their score was 137/3 in the 37th over. Harry Brook tried to play a pull shot on the ball of Prasidh Krishna, but the ball just took the top edge and went to fine leg, where Siraj was standing. He took the catch very easily, but he did not pay attention to the boundary cushion. After taking the catch, he put his foot on the cushion, after which Brook and England were given 6 runs. However, at lunch time, Siraj ran to Krishna and apologized to him for his mistake. Krishna forgave the senior player and both of them hugged each other.
Pakistan is currently on a tour of West Indies where they were playing a three-match T20 series. In the third and final T20 match, Pakistan beat West Indies by 13 runs to win the series 2-1. Sahibzada Farhan was named Player of the Match for scoring 74 runs and Mohammad Nawaz was named Player of the Series.
“India have failed in one area. This is a big score (374 runs target) on this pitch. India finds itself in this trouble because it has failed to bowl in a way that builds pressure. Except Australia, every team is struggling on this front. In the era of T20 where taking wickets is the aim, how to build the momentum to take wickets is the most important thing,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
In fact, England got a target of 374 runs at the Oval. In response, at one point the team lost three wickets for 106 runs. Harry Brook and Joe Root were at the crease. In the 35th over of England's second innings, Prasidh Krishna came to bowl. He bowled the very first ball at short length. In an attempt to hit a big shot, Brook played it in the air. The ball took the edge of his bat and went to long leg. Siraj was standing on the boundary line there. He took the catch, but his right leg hit the boundary line after the catch. Siraj could not balance himself properly. The ball went for a six. Brook was batting on 19 runs then.
The memory of Siraj dropping the catch will haunt him for the rest of his life, because this match could have proved to be a turning point.
