India are favourites to secure victory and draw the series, but England will still fancy their chances of completing what would be by far the highest successful Test run chase at The Oval.
Firmly establishing his credentials in the longest format of the game, India skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday reached a significant milestone, surpassing the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's 47-year-old record for most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series.
These lessons apply to every arena of life: Stay grounded, prepare diligently, seize your chance and let your results speak.
Ben Stokes was ruled out due to a shoulder muscle tear.
Arsenal's Calafiori secures 1-0 win at Manchester United; Crystal Palace hold Chelsea to 0-0 draw.
Sudharsan made the most of the 'life' and went on to score a patient 50, his maiden Test half-century.
Shubman Gill etched his name in the record books after becoming only the third captain in the history of Test cricket to score four centuries in a series.
Ben Stokes becomes 3rd all rounder to have 7,000 runs, 200 wickets in Test cricket
England head coach Brendon McCullum believes India have arrived well-prepared and full of belief for the upcoming five-match Test series
Dinesh Karthik and Nasser Hussain pointed to a string of missteps -- a dropped catch, a run out, a collapse -- that proved far more decisive than the final day's drama.
British media reports said all 10 English players involved with the IPL will hold a meeting with the Professional Cricketers' Association over security arrangements for a potential return to India.
Drama in the most dramatic of series isn't over yet!
On a tense Day 4 at The Oval, the England batter blazed his way to a 98-ball century, dragging his team back into the contest and into the history books.
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
England go unchanged at Edgbaston
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
He successfully took a stunner to dismiss Karun Nair to complete his 211th catch, surpassing Dravid's tally of 210. Former Sri Lanka star Mahela Jayawardene slipped to the third spot with 205 catches.
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.
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.
India's batting faltered under pressure as they suffered a 22-run defeat in the third Test against England, at Lord's.
Earlier this year, when global software giant Salesforce set out to appoint a new chief financial officer (CFO), the role came with an addition. Instead of hiring solely a CFO, the company wanted someone who would also play an integral role in operations.
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.
India's Bumrah produced a devastating spell in the morning, dismissing Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Chris Woakes before Archer struck with his third delivery to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first test for four years.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Friday.
Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin slipped to the third spot, having scored 426 runs at 85.20 during India's tour of England in 1990.
Rahane lauded Gill's temperament under pressure, especially after India had lost the opening Test.
Take a look at the numbers and narratives that made Edgbaston Test one for the ages.
India crushed England by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday
Expressing his thoughts on the unpredictability of life, the pacer philosophically said, no one knows what will happen the next moment.
'I had specific plans coming into this Test, and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) helped me shape and refine them in the lead-up.'
'The wicket was a little spicy, so I was having a lot of fun batting.'
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.
Sai Sudharsan made the opportunity count in his comeback game with a fifty while Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as India played the old-fashioned way to reach 264 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
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.
'There's always some calculated thinking behind it.'
Opener Ben Duckett hit the most defining century of his career, exposing an out-of-depth Indian attack as England comfortably chased down a tricky target of 371 to win the opening Test by five wickets.
Shubman Gill played a masterful captain's knock with his second century of the series on the opening day of the second Test
Bumrah's pace has dropped noticeably in the ongoing fourth Test against England in Manchester - from his usual 140kph to the 130-135kph range. While he consistently touched 140-plus at Headingley and Lord's, Old Trafford has told a different story.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the fifth Test against England?
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances