The Oval Test is heading towards a exicting finish as on the final day as all four results seem possible. England, chasing a huge 368, finished the Day 4 on 77/0. They need 291 more to register a historic triumph. The Indian bowlers seemed unable to extract any assistance from the pitch, and getting 10 wickets on the final day will be a stiff ask.
Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have provided England the platform to think the unthinkable. They played out the new ball cautiously without much fuss, and have put the bad balls away.
However, on Monday they have to take fresh guard.
The asking rate for England is around three an over, always a tough task on Day 5. But on this wicket, they seem getable. There has been no lateral movement with the new ball, and India have a solitary spinner to exploit the rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump. England also bat deep, and have batters who can get things moving quickly.
However, they will first want to secure a draw before going for the final onslaught. They are likely to adopt a session-by-session approach.
Virat Kohli and his bowlers know they are still ahead in this game. Knowing that a couple of early wickets can slow England down, India can go for all-out attack, with Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. However, in the quest of wickets, they should be mindful of not leaking too many runs.
If India can get couple of wickets in the first session without conceding many runs, they will probably eliminate the chances of an England win.
Going into the Day 5, the possibility of a draw seems more evident but given the nature of this series, one cannot predict anything.
Betway fantasy tips
– Back Joe Root to get runs. He will play a major role on Day 5 if England win, or even draw, the Test match.
– Back Jadeja to bowl a lot of overs. Not only he can attack the left-handers by bowling into the rough, but he can also bowl a negative line to the right handers to keep a check on the scoring rate.
– Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will look to extract some reverse swing out of the old Dukes ball and fetch bowling points.