Prasidh-Siraj’s fiery spells keep India in hunt to win Oval Test against England (Day 4 Lunch)

LONDON: Fiery bowling spells from Indian fast-bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna kept the visitors still in the hunt to win the game as England finished at 164/3 after the end of the first session on the fourth day of The Oval Test on Sunday.

At the stroke of Lunch on Day 4, England are 164/3 with Joe Root and Harry Brook unbeaten on the crease. The Three Lions need 210 more runs, and on the other hand, India needs six wickets to win the game.

Two wickets and 114 runs were scored in this session. One wicket each was scalped by Siraj (2/44 in 12 overs) and Krishna (1/74 in 13 overs) in their respective spells.

The hosts resumed the fourth day of The Oval test from 50/1 with Ben Duckett 34(48) unbeaten on the crease as they still needed 324 runs to win the match. Right-hand batter Ollie Pope joined the opener as the first session kicked off.

Siraj and Akash Deep started the proceedings for the visitors. Both of them bowled tight spells in the first hour of the session as they managed to get a lot of edges from the English batters.

Duckett completed his fifty in 76 balls. He was sent back to the pavilion as Prasidh Krishna dismissed the left-hand batter 54(83).

After the opener’s dismissal, Joe Root came out to bat. The hosts crossed the 100-run mark in the 27th over as Pope smashed a boundary on the bowling of Krishna.

At the score of 106, England lost their third wicket as Siraj dismissed Pope 27(34) in the same manner in which he did in the first innings.

Following Pope’s dismissal, Harry Brook came out to bat. Just before the end of the first session, the English team touched the 150-run mark.

Brook and Root completed their 50-run partnership in the 36th over. Before going back for Lunch, both batters built an unbeaten 58(63) run partnership.

Earlier on Day 3, before England began its hunt to gun down their second-highest target, Dhruv Jurel was the first to perish after being pinned in front of the stumps by Jamie Overton on 34(46). Ravindra Jadeja continued to fight and brought up his fifty in style by punching the ball through the point for a four. He brought out his sword to celebrate his valiant half-century.

Jadeja’s jubilation was short-lived after he gave away a thick outside edge while slashing the ball off Josh Tongue to Harry Brook, stationed at the second slip. After Jadjea’s composed 53(77) met its end, Mohammed Siraj soon joined him in the dressing room after being deemed lbw by the umpire in the same over.

Siraj stood in disbelief as the review showed he had got an inside edge, but he had no option but to return, considering India had burned all its reviews. Realising the gravity of the situation, Washington Sundar upped the ante and produced fireworks with his bat in London.

He dispatched the ball for a towering maximum off Gus Atkinson and then smoked the ball into the stands twice off Tongue in the next over. Sundar continued to torment Atkinson by edging the ball for a four and then topping it up by effortlessly hammering the ball for back-to-back boundaries. He brought up his fifty by smacking the ball over deep mid-wicket and making it disappear in the crowd.

Tongue pulled the curtains down on Sundar’s run-fest and completed his five-wicket haul. Sundar tried to clip it, but ballooned the ball in the air. Zak Crawley and Jamie Smith went for it and barely managed to avoid a collision with the former, ensuring the ball remained in his hand. As Sundar walked back with his sizzling 53(46), India packed their bags on 396.

Brief Scores: India: 224 and 396 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 118, Akash Deep 66; Josh Tongue 5-125) vs England: 247 and 164/3 (Ben Duckett 54, Harry Brook 38*; Mohammed Siraj 2-44). (ANI)