TimesofIndia.com in London: It was absolute theatre in the final session of Day 4. It had everything. Almost every delivery became an event. Both India seamers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna ran in hard and there was an appeal for almost everything which they bowled. The capacity crowd at The Oval became animated, got behind the visitors who were just about hanging on. Joe Root's wicket, Jacob Bethell's rash shot gave them plenty to believe in fading night and they bowled their heart out in what was a very challenging period to survive for hosts England.
Very few found the middle of the blade and India felt interested in every delivery which wrapped on the pads, found the edge or beat it. There were loud shouts, oohs and aahs, and suddenly the straight-forward result, something that looked a mere formality before the session began. Only 57 to get, Root and Bethell in the middle and Jamie Smith and bowlers to follow. Lots of batting, not many runs after a dominating session meant England were well ahead but that one hour spiced things up before it suddenly became dark and there was a heavy enough downpour that warranted covering the entire square.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Before the late theatrics, two moments before the Tea break summed up India's most of the day. First ball of the 65th over, a not-so-100% Akash Deep put in some extra effort into his length delivery which Jacob Bethell lobbed up into the air. All Akash had to do was take a few steps back and complete what could have been a regulation catch. He turned to take a few steps but lost balance, possibly due to the shoe getting stuck, and the ball dropped right in front of him. He was on the ground, Siraj tried to get there but couldn't and the sense of helplessness in the middle reflected in the body language of the Indian players.
England were in cruise control at 307/4 and a luckless India continued to toil without the rub of the green going their way. In the very next over, Siraj put in his extra effort on an in-dipper which crashed into Joe Root's pads but umpire Kumar Dharamasena was unmoved. To the naked eye, impact seemed outside off but Shubman Gill rolled another desperate dice to see the back of England's rock. The DRS confirmed the impact, Root survived and the helplessness continued.
When the day got underway, the odds were heavily stacked in India's favour on what was the liveliest pitch of the series. The ball had been doing something right through the first three days and even though England had chased 371 in the series opener at Headingley, The Oval pitch was going to be the toughest examination for the English batters.
India came hard in the morning session, better prepared with smart fielding plans to keep Ben Duckett quiet, picked two early wickets and clearly looked like getting at least two more.
Siraj was steaming in, making things happen but the wickets column didn't quite reflect the kind of rhythm he was in the morning session. Batting had been better after the heavy roller in the morning but India had their plans chalked out. They kept the 'Bazballers' under check but what hit them in the post-Lunch session was Brook's bravado coupled with Joe Root's brains. The 195-run stand between the two Yorkshiremen stunned the visitors and Brook, in particular, took the game away.
After Siraj misjudged his catch when Brook was batting on just 19, the right-hander exploded and never looked back. He continued to be severe, struck the ball sweetly and punished India's tired three-seamer attack.
The toll of playing all five Tests - the only bowler to do so across both camps - was showing on Siraj as he alongside Akash and Prasidh Krishna desperately sought a wicket. England, meanwhile, didn't give an inch and kept getting closer to the mammoth target without doing anything silly. Yes, the approach did come as a surprise for a side which is known for doing silly things, even when everything is in their control, but Day 4 was a bit different.
It wasn't just Bazball. But a much refined approach. Bazball with brains. Root hit a hundred, Brook scored a hundred, India bowlers kept trying but didn't get the results in their favour. But that one hour... that dramatic one hour has set-up another Day 5 finish for what has been a fiercely competitive series.
It nearly turned out to be a story of what-could-have-been for the visitors but the drama has ensured they get one final crack on Day 5 morning to get a result in their favour and level the series.
For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the
India vs England Test match here.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!