Image: India and England now face off in the final Test / © ESPNcricinfo
The India tour of England has given tons of memories to the cricket fans, but there is still one final Test remaining. Both teams will now clash each other for one last time at the Oval, where the stakes are high. England holds a lead of 2-1 in this series while entering the next match.
Although England has won more matches than India in the series, both teams have been equally strong, which makes the next game even more anticipated. The match will be played at the Oval, which might not hold some good memories for the Indian cricket team and its fans.
This ground has not been favourable for the Indian team, as the team holds just one win in the last 50 years at this venue against England. The win came under the captaincy of India’s best Test captain, Virat Kohli, where the team showcased its ability to fight and change the game. But the question remains, will Shubman Gill be able to etch his name in the history books once again?
The fifth Test at the Oval is expected to be one of the best of this series, as it is a must-win game for India. Even if the match ends with a draw, England would be declared as the series winner, and Gill doesn’t want to see that happen, which makes him and the entire team fight for the win. However, let’s take a look at the previous matches between India and England, which took place at the Oval.
The India tour of England was probably one of the best ones recently for the Indian line-up, where they almost defeated England in a series since 2007. In this game, England had won the toss and decided to field first.
| England vs India, 4th Test, Oval | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| India: 191 (61.3 Overs) | England: 290 (84 Overs) |
| Shardul Thakur: 57 (36) | Ollie Pope: 81 (159) |
| Chris Woakes: 4/55 | Umesh Yadav: 3/76 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 466 (148.2 Overs) | England: 210 (92.2 Overs) |
| Rohit Sharma: 127 (256) | Haseeb Hameed: 63 (193) |
| Chris Woakes: 3/83 | Umesh Yadav: 3/60 |
| India won by 157 Runs | |
This decision surely helped the team, as they were able to bowl out India for just 191 runs. Virat Kohli and Shardul Thakur were among the top scorers for the Indian line-up, scoring half-centuries, as Chris Woakes (4) and Ollie Robinson (3) did. When England came to bat, Indian bowlers were able to dominate early, putting them at the score of 62/5.
But the middle order showcased some fight, which helped England reach a total of 290. Ollie Pope (81) and Chris Woakes (50) were the key performers, as Umesh Yadav took 3 wickets, while Bumrah and Jadeja took 2 wickets each. With England having a lead, it was now India’s chance to set a massive target.
They were able to do it with the help of a century by Rohit Sharma, including fifties of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, and Shardul Thakur. India scored 466 runs, and now England had to score 368 runs to win the game. The opening batsmen showcased a fight, but this came to an end, putting England at the score of 141/3.
Following this, India’s bowling line-up took command and bowled out England for just 210 runs, winning the game by 157 runs. Umesh Yadav once again took 3 wickets, while Bumrah, Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur took 2 wickets each. Rohit Sharma received the POTM award for scoring 127.
England had already won the 2018 series against India before they entered the final Test. This match was also played at the Oval, and England decided to bat first after winning the toss. The team ended up scoring 332 runs in the first innings, which included half-centuries from Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, and Jos Buttler.
| England vs India, 5th Test, Oval | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| England: 332 (122 Overs) | India: 292 (95 Overs) |
| Jos Buttler: 89 (133) | Ravindra Jadeja: 86* (156) |
| Ravindra Jadeja: 4/79 | James Anderson: 2/54 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| England: 423/8d (112.3 Overs) | India: 345 (94.3 Overs) |
| Alastair Cook: 147 (286) | KL Rahul: 149 (224) |
| Ravindra Jadeja: 3/179 | James Anderson: 3/45 |
| England won by 118 Runs | |
India tried its best to score well, but the top order failed, which put them down at the score of 160/6. But Hanuma Vihari (56) and Ravindra Jadeja (86) helped India score 292 runs in their first innings, giving England just a lead of 30 runs as they started with the second innings.
At this time, Joe Root and Alastair Cook showcased their brilliance, which helped England to gain the upper hand. Both scored centuries and eventually, England declared at the score of 423 for the loss of 8 wickets. This was a massive target for India, but they were not going away without a fight.
Despite the top order failing to score, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant had an impressive 204-run stand, as both strikers smashed centuries. But with them losing wickets, India fell short of reaching the target by 118 runs, allowing England to win the match and also take the series home.
Similar to the India tour of England 2025, the 2014 tour also had England standing at a 2-1 lead ahead of the final Test at the Oval. In this match, England were fortunate enough to win the toss, as they decided to field first. This decision must have been the match-changing one for both teams.
| England vs India, 5th Test, Oval | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| India: 148 (61.1 Overs) | England: 486 (116.3 Overs) |
| MS Dhoni: 82 (140) | Joe Root: 149* (165) |
| Chris Woakes: 3/30 | Ishant Sharma: 4/96 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 94 (29.2 Overs) | |
| Stuart Binny: 25* (28) | |
| Chris Jordan: 4/18 | |
| England won by an Innings and 244 Runs | |
India did not have a good start to the game, as the top order failed to score well, putting the team at the score of 44 for the loss of 6 wickets. At this time, their skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, took charge as he went on to score 82 runs. Just as he lost his wicket, India was unable to continue the momentum and got out for 148.
England’s first innings was filled with the dominance of its batsmen, including 149 runs from Joe Root, and half-centuries from Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance. This helped England to reach a total of 486 runs, putting up a massive lead ahead of India’s batting line-up for their second innings.
Once again, the Indian batting line-up failed to deliver as the openers lost quick wickets. Although Virat Kohli and Stuart Binny showed some fight, it was not enough to give the team an upper hand. Thus, India was bowled out for just 94 runs, giving England a win by an innings and 244 runs.
The Oval may not seem a happy ground for the Indian team, as they have suffered more losses here than wins. One of them also took place during the India tour of England 2011, in the last Test match. Winning the toss in this game, England decided to take the ground advantage and bat first.
| England vs India, 4th Test, Oval | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| England: 591/6d (153 Overs) | India: 300 (94 Overs) |
| Ian Bell: 235 (364) | Rahul Dravid: 146* (266) |
| Sreesanth: 3/123 | Tim Bresnan: 3/54 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 283 (91 Overs) | |
| Sachin Tendulkar: 91 (172) | |
| Graeme Swann: 6/106 | |
| England won by an Innings and 8 Runs | |
This proved to be a great decision for the team, as the openers, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, were able to give a good start. Followed by them, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen had an impressive 350-run stand for the third wicket, which put England in a strong position. In the end, they declared at a score of 591 for the loss of 6 wickets.
India tried its best to give a fighting total to England in its first innings, but Rahul Dravid seemed to be the lone warrior. He ended up scoring 146 runs, while only Amit Mishra was able to breach the 40-run mark. As a result, India got bowled out for 300 and were given a follow-on in this game.
Even in its second innings, India didn’t have a good start, as they stood at the score of 118 for the loss of 3 wickets. But Sachin Tendulkar and Amit Mishra had an impressive stand for the fourth wicket, which gave some hope to the Indian fans. Eventually, after they lost their wickets, India was bowled out for 283, allowing England to win by an innings and 8 runs.
India’s last Test series win against England came in 2007, and the final match of the same was being played at the Oval. Fortunately, India won the toss in this game and they decided to bat first. This decision helped the Indian team, as they scored 664 runs in the first innings.
| England vs India, 3rd Test, Oval | |
|---|---|
| 1st Innings | |
| India: 664 (170 Overs) | England: 345 (103.1 Overs) |
| Anil Kumble: 110* (193) | Ian Bell: 63 (96) |
| James Anderson: 4/182 | Zaheer Khan: 3/32 |
| 2nd Innings | |
| India: 180/6d (58 Overs) | England: 369/6 (110 Overs) |
| Sourav Ganguly: 57 (68) | Kevin Pietersen: 101 (159) |
| James Anderson: 2/34 | Sreesanth: 3/53 |
| Match Drawn | |
Anil Kumble smashed a century while five other players also scored half-centuries. In England’s first innings, Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood, and Ian Bell smashed fifties, as the team scored 345 runs. India still had an impressive lead as they entered to bat in the third innings.
But this time, the English bowlers took the upper hand, putting India in trouble. The team’s middle order showcased a fight, as Sourav Ganguly also smashed a half-century. Eventually, India decided to declare at the score of 180 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, giving England a target of 500 runs.
England tried its best to reach the target, but the number of overs came out to be less for them. Thus, they were only able to score 369 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, and the match ended up in a draw. This was also the time when India won its last Test series against England in England.