England suffer late Zak Crawley blow in chase of 374 to win fifth Test and India series

At the end of a demoralising third day when England were put to the sword by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sixth Test century came one final gut punch. Mohammed Siraj, the only seamer to stay the course in this punishing series, castled Zak Crawley with a perfect yorker to put his side on course for a 2-2 draw.

England will go into the fourth day on 50 for one needing 324 more runs to win. But while the target is just three more than the 371 they chased down at a canter in the first Test at Headingley, their beleaguered state of mind – and a more capricious pitch – points to a very different outcome this time.

India may need only eight more wickets, too, with Chris Woakes unlikely to bat due to his dislocated shoulder. And there is also an injury concern regarding Ben Duckett. The opener survived the late 14-over burst from the touring quicks but as he walked off on 34 not out, his hand was still throbbing following a particularly vicious delivery from Prasidh Krishna.

This was just another setback on a day littered with them. Powerless to prevent Jaiswal’s 118 from 164 balls, a remarkable 66 from nightwatchman Akash Deep, plus some late fireworks from Washington Sundar, Ollie Pope’s three-man attack shipped 396 runs in 88 overs and looked a beaten side.

They were hampered by the absence of Woakes, strung out by just 51 overs of respite between innings, and further damaged by six catches going down as India turned the screw. Jaiswal was afforded two of those lives on the second evening but did not offer another until, with the lead sitting at 250 runs, he slashed Josh Tongue to deep backward point.

Even that dismissal was a case of umpteenth time’s a charm, with Jaiswal previously murderous to anything short outside off stump. Mike Selvey once wrote that “were I ever to be condemned to beheading, I would like Robin Smith to be the swordsman” – a line that came to mind every time Jaiswal rocked back and powerfully cut the ball to the rope with precision.

View image in fullscreen Yashasvi Jaiswal of India acknowledges the applause of the Oval after his 118 anchored their second innings. Photograph: Javier García/Shutterstock

England knew all about the 23-year-old’s proficiency in this regard, having witnessed the Jude Bellingham-style century celebration that came out to a standing ovation mid-afternoon three times previously. More surprising was the identity of his partner-in-crime during an initial third-wicket stand that, worth 107 runs, represented the highest of the match.

Only once before had Akash Deep scored a half-century in senior cricket but over the course of the first 90 minutes he switched from nightwatchman to fully fledged No 4. OK, not quite. But until Jamie Overton finally knocked him over for 66, every one of his 12 fours and countless defensive blocks demoralised a side that, in theory, should have started out with optimism.

One factor here was India asking their old friend and groundsman, Lee Fortis, to use the heavy roller first thing, temporarily anesthetizing a surface that had previously thrown up 21 wickets in two days. Another was Crawley shelling Deep at slip on 21, setting the tone for an innings that eventually climaxed after tea when Sundar hammered 53 off 46 balls.

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England’s attack was running on fumes by the end, in fairness, tenderised by Jaiswal class and, continuing a theme of the series, a 77-ball 53 from Ravindra Jadeja. Sundar simply applied the finishing touches, firing up the dhol drummers among the Indian supporters with four fours and four sixes. And no, none of these were struck off Harry Brook’s liquorice all sorts.

In one respect, without a frontline spinner to offer relief, England’s three fit seamers deserved immense credit for their efforts. Tongue at least had a second Test five-wicket haul to show for it, while Gus Atkinson, again the standout, took his match tally to eight. Among these was Shubman Gill, lbw for 11 with the first ball after lunch, ending the Indian captain’s series with 754 runs but, curiously, an average of just 13.5 inside the M25.

This match has been a struggle for Overton, however, with his right-arm thud ill-suited to the pitch – his home pitch, no less – and not helped by a lack of form leading up to it. Deep’s removal ended a run of 63 overs in first-class cricket without a wicket. And though he later trapped Dhruv Jurel lbw for 34 with a nice outswinger, this was only his fourth first-class strike of the season.

Overton’s deployment has felt like it was made with an eye on the winter, part of England’s current lust for pace. But then they had also played most of their cards across the first four Tests in the hope of sealing the series win sooner. India, with impressive resilience, have just kept coming.

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