IND vs ENG, Oval Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep power India on Day 3
Bengaluru/London: India surged ahead on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century, a sparkling 53 from Washington Sundar, and a gritty fifty from nightwatchman Akash Deep to set England a daunting 374-run target.
At stumps, England were 50 for 1, losing Zak Crawley to a beauty from Mohammed Siraj of the final ball of the day.
Resuming at 75/2, India built their innings around a resilient 103-run stand between Jaiswal and Akash Deep. The left-hander, overnight on 51, brought up his century in 127 balls (11x4, 2x6), showcasing maturity and flair. Akash Deep, primarily known for his bowling, turned heads with a stylish 66 off 94 balls, including 12 boundaries. Their partnership frustrated England through the first session, guiding India to 189/3 at lunch.
Shubman Gill fell early in the post-lunch session, given LBW on review (India’s last), while departed quickly.
Jaiswal kept the scoreboard ticking, but his eventual dismissal at 118 saw India wobble briefly. Ravindra Jadeja then steadied the innings with a fluent 53, his fifth fifty of the series, before edging to second slip.
Dhruv Jurel’s 34 and a T20-style blitz from Washington Sundar revived India's innings. Sundar smashed four sixes and four boundaries in his 53 off just 46 balls, reaching his fifty with a thunderous strike over mid-wicket and celebrating with a punch to the air. He helped push India past 300 (reached in 70.4 overs), and ultimately to a formidable total.
The final wicket fell in the 88th over when Sundar miscued a flick off Josh Tongue, who completed his maiden five-wicket haul (5/103). Crawley and Pope collided under the skier, but Crawley held on at mid-wicket despite the scare.
England were left needing 374 for victory, but their reply was immediately pegged back.
