What happened on Day 4 of England vs India, 5th Test? All you need to know

Day Four of the ongoing Oval Test began with England needing 324 runs to win. The overnight unbeaten batter, Ben Duckett, walked out to the middle alongside skipper Ollie Pope. Duckett soon reached his fifty, but it was Prasidh Krishna who provided the first breakthrough of the morning session, dismissing him for 53.

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Joe Root and Pope then looked to build a strong partnership, but Mohammed Siraj, with a vicious nip-backer, trapped Pope in front of the stumps for 27. From there, Root and Harry Brook ensured there were no further hiccups in the first session, taking England to 164/3 at lunch.

One of the turning points of the day came when Brook, on 19, attempted to pull Prasidh Krishna over fine leg. Siraj took a clean catch at the boundary, and for a brief moment, India celebrated, thinking they had dismissed the World’s No. 1-ranked Test batter. However, Siraj stumbled backwards and touched the boundary cushion, turning the dismissal into a six. The moment left Siraj, his teammates, and Indian fans visibly disappointed.

Brook made full use of that lifeline, forging a massive 195-run stand with Root for the fourth wicket. He went on to score a scintillating hundred before being dismissed for 111 off just 98 balls. At Tea, England looked well in control at 317/4, needing just 57 more runs for victory, with Root unbeaten on 98 and Jacob Bethell on 1.

Chris Woakes reportedly will bat if the situation demands on day five

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Though the game seemed firmly in England’s grasp, India staged a dramatic comeback in the final session. Krishna first removed Bethell, and then came the big moment — despite Root reaching his century and looking set to anchor the chase, Krishna dismissed him for 105 off 152 balls, leaving the former England captain visibly frustrated.

Suddenly, England were 337/6 and still needed 37 runs with two new batters at the crease. Under slightly overcast conditions, India’s bowlers extracted movement off the pitch and bowled crucial tight overs to put pressure back on the hosts.

Just when it looked like a result might be achieved before stumps, bad light followed by rain brought an early end to Day Four. England finished the day at 339/6, needing 35 runs to win with four wickets in hand.

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Notably, as per reports, injured all-rounder Chris Woakes — who suffered a shoulder injury during India’s first innings — might still come out to bat on Day Five if required.

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