India vs England Live Score, 5th Test Match Day 3: Yashasvi Jaiswal battled through challenging conditions to score his sixth Test century, guiding India to a commanding position on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test at The Oval. Riding his luck, Jaiswal made 118 off 164 balls as India reached 304/6 at tea on Saturday, stretching their overall lead to past 350 runs.
Despite losing three wickets in the session, India remained firmly in control. England continued to let opportunities slip, quite literally — their dropped catches tally reached six for this innings alone. Jaiswal, who had been put down twice on Day 2, was gifted another life on Saturday. To his credit, he capitalized fully, bringing up his second century of the series.
Shubman Gill (11 off 9) looked in sublime touch with two elegant boundaries but was undone once again by the incoming delivery. Gus Atkinson struck with the first ball after lunch to send back the Indian captain, who ended the series with a staggering 754 runs — just 20 short yof Sunil Gavaskar’s all-time record for most runs in a Test series by an Indian.
Jaiswal, who collected several runs with his favoured cut shot, eventually perished in the third man region attempting one too many. Karun Nair followed soon after, nicking behind off Atkinson as extra bounce in the corridor outside off once again exposed his vulnerability.
The hosts will need to pull off a record fourth-innings chase at The Oval — the highest successful chase at the venue being 263 — after India’s dominant performance with the bat.
Earlier in the day, nightwatchman Akash Deep played a memorable knock, smashing his way to a maiden Test half-century. Resuming at 75/2, India surged to 189/3 by lunch, thanks to a 107-run stand between Jaiswal (85* off 106) and Akash Deep (66 off 94). The pacer, who began the day on four, showed fearless intent from the outset, launching Jacob Bethell over mid-wicket in the day’s first over.
He didn’t shy away from taking on the fast bowlers either, reaching his fifty with a powerful slog off Atkinson. His aggressive approach unsettled England, who were a bowler short due to Chris Woakes’ injury. Akash survived a few close calls — including a dropped catch by Zak Crawley at third slip — before finally falling to Jamie Overton. A well-directed short ball forced an uncontrolled shot, resulting in a straightforward catch to Atkinson at point.
England’s struggles in the field continued, with their overall tally now at 19 dropped catches across India’s 10 innings in the series.
The pitch played noticeably better than on the first two days, offering less seam movement. While several edges flew to the third man region, they didn’t result in wickets — much to England’s frustration.
As Jaiswal anchored one end, Akash Deep’s fearless strokeplay provided crucial momentum. The Indian dressing room acknowledged his spirited knock with applause — a well-deserved moment for a pacer who’s making a mark with both ball and bat.
With two days to go and a strong lead in hand, India are in pole position to level the series at 2-2 — unless England can produce something extraordinary.
The Times of India | Aug 02, 2025, 22:03:55 IST