The duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep are rapidly finding their rhythm and is slowly maturing into a steady combination that is making the English bowlers increasingly frustrated as the first session on Saturday is still in progress on the fourth day of the fifth Test, which is critical to the series. India began innings at 75/2 and have already passed the century mark with nightwatchman Akash Deep displaying sterling heart to some extent. At the start of the day, India’s lead was a fragile 52 runs, which has now receded to around 100 runs. As the series is evenly placed, the third day, which is commonly referred to as moving day, is going to be a decisive one in deciding the fate of this sensational Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
It has been an up-and-down battle as each side has tried hard not to give an inch. Neither team is completely satisfied with where they are, but both teams are cautious of how fast things can suddenly change. The Indian batting now depends a lot on Jaiswal, who has to find his touch again after a few silent matches and on the yet-to-be-seen Shubman Gill, who has performed exceptionally well in his first series as a captain. It would be a career-defining moment in India to have Gill steer the Indian team to victory in the deciding Test, and the increased responsibility of steering the team towards victory would either prove to be a real feather or a burden on Gill under pressure.
The Oval has so far been a happy hunting ground for seamers, and the overcast and grassy wicket would be repeated. Day 3 is predicted to be the sunniest day of the week to provide India with the best batting weather of the match. They are without many of their key English bowlers, such as Chris Woakes, and this is the ideal opportunity that can allow India to win by posting a huge total. The score of less than 300 could prove dangerous, particularly in the face of England 8-74 record of chasing targets but the fact that India has a deep batting lineup with the likes of Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar is what assures them of putting up a hefty score on the board which will prove to be a deciding factor in this series decider.
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