Yashasvi Jaiswal enhanced his reputation as an all-conditions opener with a gutsy hundred on a tough pitch before Washington Sundar's whirlwind fifty allowed India to set a record 374-run target for England on an absorbing Day 3 of the final Test at The Oval on Saturday.
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Friday.
Just as India threatened to take full control before lunch, a costly fielding lapse by Mohammed Siraj handed England a lifeline - and it couldn't have come at a worse time.
Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton before bowling Gus Atkinson to end the match.
Fans also took to X, calling for Head Coach Gambhir's sacking.
England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final Test against India at The Oval on Thursday
Gill second successive ton as skipper takes India to 310 for 5
Siraj has attained a career-best 15th position in the latest ICC Test rankings
India finished day three of the second Test on 64/1 to lead England by 244 runs after they dismissed the hosts for 407 in the first innings at Edgbaston on Friday.
What makes this team special is their ability to fight till the end, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar. This team has announced that England's standard is not alarmingly high and, unlike in the past, they can be beaten on their home wickets, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Needing 7 to win, Siraj is given the ball and who better than Mr Lion Heart to script India's narrowest win in Test cricket. It takes Siraj a stinging yorker to send Atkinson's stumps flying -- the ball hitting low on the off stump.
A 2-2 series result seems fair, for a 1-3 loss would have been cruelly unjust --- especially to Siraj, who bowled 185.3 overs in the series for 23 wickets and never seemed to give up belief.
After India captain Shubman Gill had scored another masterful century at Edgbaston, India fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj blew away England's top order.
'I woke up in the morning and checked google on my phone and took out a 'Believe' emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country.'
England captain Ben Stokes tried to focus on the positives after his team's agonising six-run loss to India in their riveting final Test at The Oval on Monday.
Ben Stokes acknowledged that missed opportunities early in the match allowed India to take firm control of the second Test at Edgbaston
Siraj now has 203 international wickets in 101 matches, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who had 201 wickets in his career.
India crushed England by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday
England's players hired Lime Bikes to reach The Oval, while the West Indies team were stuck in heavy road traffic in London.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain was full of praise for Akash Deep
Mohammed Siraj has always had this towering shadow of Jasprit Bumrah on him but on an overcast Monday at the Oval, the second-in-command carved a bright silhouette for himself.
Prasidh Krishna has the ability to bowl "magic balls" and the pacer needs to be given an extended run to serve India for a long time, said bowling coach Morne Morkel in London on Sunday.
Stokes praises incredibly skillful Akash Deep, says task was to bat out 80 overs
A look at India's narrowest victories by run margin -- games that tested nerves, showcased grit, and etched unforgettable drama into Test history.
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Pant's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in 24 months.
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
Fulham held visitors Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Sunday.
Coming off a commanding 336-run win at Edgbaston, Team India not only ended their winless streak at the historic venue, but also levelled the five-match series 1-1 in stunning fashion thanks to Shubman Gill's twin hundreds and a rousing spell from pacer Akash Deep.
Akash Deep dedicated his stellar performance in the second Test to his sister, who has been battling cancer for the past two months.
'If you get to the point where you can draw the game, of course, we're not stupid enough to think that you have to just win or lose.'
'We want pace on the ball, we want the ball to bounce and we want the ball to carry through so that when we're batting, we can be aggressive, we can attack, and we can put pressure back on the bowlers.'
Across five fiercely contested Tests, more than 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries. Every match stretched into a gripping fifth day. The sun shone, the stands were full, and the cricket -- emotional, enthralling, and endlessly unpredictable -- captured imaginations around the world.
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope scored centuries to take England to a massive 498/3 at the close on the first day of their one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.
Even as the conditions changed, bright sunshine alternating with gloom, the Indian batters gritted their teeth and fought it out.
Jofra Archer will play his first Test in more than four years as he replaces fellow seamer Josh Tongue for the third Test at Lord's.
It's unbelievable because I was waiting for a long time: Siraj on his six-wicket haul
Gill, 25, was appointed captain in May following the retirement of two great Indian batsmen and leaders in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Root surpassed 7000 runs in ODIs and also went past Eoin Morgan to become England's leading ODI run-scorer.
Senegal become first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly
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