Key events
Player of the match is … again, Benjamin Andrew Stokes for his 141 and six wickets. I’d have gone for Jadeja, but fair enough. He’s give the award back for the win, of course, but asked how his body is he can only laugh; he asks his players to run through brick walls, so it’s incumbent upon him to do the same. “Pretty sore,” he concludes.
He then explains further that, getting through the overs, things catch up with you and, “as I keep saying to the bowlers, ‘pain is only an emotion’.”
Then, on England’s inability to force the win, he says that it was difficult for the right-handers, but the two lefties put together a brilliant partnership, so credit to them.
On England’s batting, he praises Crawley and Duckett for giving them the start they needed – the plan was to bat once – but ultimately two very good teams are playing excellent cricket, throwing punches at each other, and he always knew the quality India had, if they could get themselves in, they’d be hard to dislodge.
Asked about offering the draw, he says the batters played incredibly well but he wasn’t going to risk his bowlers, explaining that Dawson was cramping, so he had to go with part-timers.
Finally, England will have to recover, assess things, and then make the call about who plays at the Oval.
Gill looks seriously smug, and he’s really proud of his side; he should also be really proud of his hairline. India wanted to take the game as deep as possible, he explains, then asked about not taking the handshake, he says it was left up to the boys in the middle and both were in the 90s, so.
Every day and every match he learns something different about captaincy but also the group are learning and, told he’s there with Bradman and Gavaskar as having captained and made three tons in the series, he says it never matters what you’ve done, just what you’re doing in the moment.
In the first innings, he laments batters getting set but not going deep to take the game away, but is really pleased with the second innings. Then, asked about Bumrah at the Oval, he says we’ll have to see, and finally asked if he’ll call heads again, having lost 14 tosses in a row, he laughs that this is what he thinks about most.
Righto, it’s presentation time.
Also going on:
I’m getting various emails complaining about England’s churlish reaction to Jadeja’s century, but come on: this is top-level sport. I can understand why India wanted their men to get hundred; I can understand why England wanted to finish; I can understand why they wanted to devalue their opponents’ achievements; I don’t really know why anyone would care. This contest has been played in excellent spirit with just the right amount of needle; it’s serious out there and, in the heat of battle with a crucial match to come, theres not going to be cooing and cuddling.
England will be disappointed, but they were beaten by the pitch as much as India’s excellence and their own shortcomings. They’d have taken dormy one if offered it at the start of the series, but India look renewed and refreshed; the narrative they tell themselves won’t include complaints about the pitch, we can be sure of that. Three tons in the innings tell them all they need to know, and they’ll surely be facing a very different attack at the Oval; surely England can’t force Archer through another five days, while who knows what Stokes’ body will accept.
Washington records maiden Test century and the match is drawn
142nd over: India 425-4 (Washington 95, Jadeja 107) Washington twizzles Root for two around the corner, then ends the over with a single which keeps strike, while Brook, bowling, suggests he get on with it. So Stokes brings the field up, looking to end the match while devaluing the moment, and the batter goes over extra for four, raising the 200 partnership and taking him to within a single of his maiden ton. And there it is, flicked to midwicket, and what a knock this has been; what a moment this is! He removes his helmet, runs about celebrating, and that will be that; well played old mate, well played Jaddu too, and well played both teams. The series gets the final Test decider it deserves, and can we just skip over Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get to Thursday, please?
Ravindra Jadeja completes his century!
141st over: India 416-4 (Washington 92, Jadeja 107) Jadeja drives but picks out the fielder, so he dances down, leathers Brook down the ground for six, and that completes a glorious century of unremitting bottle. He celebrates as well as you’d expect though, despite incitement from his captain, there’s no sword-swish; he then pulls four more, the bowler offering him whatever shot he pleases, and a pull for two completes the over. On the balcony, the India players gather to greet the inevitability of Washington’s maiden Test ton, and it’s not just a match or a series India have saved this afternoon; they’ve switched momentum in the contest and will bounce down to London, elated, while England will trudge, irritated.
140th over: India 404-4 (Washington 92, Jadeja 95) Five dots from Root, then Washington chases a wide one, spanking for into the gap between cover and mid-off … then again. His highest Test score is 96 not out and, though I understand why Stokes, the definitive team-man uninterested in personal milestones, is irate, I’m with Gill on this one. All the more so when Root tries a bouncer, Washington pulling it for four; surely once both batters reach three figures, he’ll agree to call it off.
139th over: India 392-4 (Washington 80, Jadeja 95) England respond by introducing Brook to the attack – he’s bowling off-spin, not seamers – Stokes no longer willing to flog his bowlers. So, when offered a full toss, Jadeja goes over the top but doesn’t get all of t – they run two – then a half-tracker is given the treatment it deserves, laced to the fence for four. Jaddu is nearly there and frankly, he and we deserve the celebration when he gets there.
138th over: India 386-4 (Washington 80, Jadeja 89) Washington drills four through cover, then hammers into Duckett at short leg; it’s a sair yin then, at the end of the over with 15 remaining, Stokes offers a handshake and is less than gruntled when it’s refused. These batters want their tons; cut to Gill chuckling in the dressing room. That’s drinks and, while they’re taken, sentiments are exchanged on the pitch, Crawley vocal in offering his thoughts.
137th over: India 382-4 (Washington 76, Jadeja 89) Sundar takes a single to point after which Jadeja, seeking his ton, drives into his own foot, the ball rolling just past leg stump. Four byes then complete the over, and it’s probably time for me to direct you to open a second window in your browsers.
136th over: India 377-4 (Washington 75, Jadeja 89) Root starts with a bouncer; Washington swings and misses. Meantime, Broad reminds us that we’ve already broken the record for centuries in an English series – previously, it was held by Gooch’s Indian summer in 1990 – and we’ve two more potentially to come this afternoon. If Stokes offers them a handshake with 15 overs left, will they accept it? One from the over, Sundar flicking to leg, and we’re marking time now.
135th over: India 376-4 (Washington 74, Jadeja 89) This is Dawson’s 46th over of the innings, most have come on a day-five pitch, and he’s wicketless; ouch. This latest over returns five dots, then a single to Washington, and this is a draw, the partnership 154 – a special number, at least when trying to find something about which to talk.
134th over: India 375-4 (Washington 73, Jadeja 89) Root sends his first delivery into the pad and there’s an appeal, but really everyone knows it was going down. Then, after two further dots, Jadeja makes room by stepping to leg, then thunks Root back over his heed, well away from his desperate leap, then goes high over mid-off and the ball trickles into the rope. That makes the partnership’s 150, and if I was Stokes, I’d be tempted to shake hands with these two in the 90s. However he is not a petty, small-minded nause; 10 off the over.
133rd over: India 367-4 (Washington 73, Jadeja 81) Dawson returns from the other end, still men around the bat, so Washington feels safe in driving him out of the rough to cover; they run two. What an effort this is from the batters.
132nd over: India 365-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 81) Four dots from Root, then Jadeja slams uppishly down the ground and, though there are shouts of “Catch!”, the ball is nowhere near Archer at mid-on. The lead is 54, overs remaining 21.
“Well, nobody’s saying it out loud,” writes Bhaskar Agrawal, “but this is a bad pitch. Hardly anything for the bowlers in the last session of day five. Bazball may champion excitement, but they have really dulled the pitches in England.”
We said it just a little earlier, but I agree, this is a disappointing effort for a track that has traditionally been one of the most sporting in the country. In general, they’ve been a little slow this series – the brilliant, thrilling cricket we’ve seen has been down to the teams, not the curation.
131st over: India 361-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 77) Archer goes short, so Jadeja drops hands, sways, and crouches; he’s handled the short stuff really well in this knock. He then takes a single to deep square, the only run from the over, and even Stokes won’t be able to conjure England a win fro this position, though he may give us yet one more spell of masochism, just because.
130th over: India 360-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 75) Dawson is rusticated once more, Root returning, and after five dots, when he extracts a little more bounce, Jadeja cuts three to deep point. We’ve 23 overs remaining, though increasingly, my sense is that we won’t bother with all of them.
129th over: India 357-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 73) Maybe if Archer took his chain off, he’d find an extra yard – it looks like it weighs more than my entire self. He sends down four dots then, after Jadeja twizzles a single around the corner, he bangs in; Washington rides it well, knocking into the ground. Between overs, we see Root dropping Jaddu first ball; it was a valiant effort, but it looked vital at the time and now, looks like the difference.
128th over: India 356-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 72) Dawson continues with a slip, leg-slip, silly mid-off, short leg and short cover; Washington takes a single, then Jaddu clobbers over mid-on for four. A single and a two follow, the partnership now 134, and I really hope both of these get to three figures before the close.
“It needs a spell from Archer at 92mph+ rather than the pace he’s been bowling all match,” reckons Andy Flintoff. “But then, what’s his motivation for doing so? It’s the fifth evening session of a Test that’s meandering towards a draw.”
I don’t think it’s a lack of motivation, rather unhelpful circumstances. If it was possible, he’d be doing it.
127th over: India 348-4 (Washington 68, Jadeja 67) This, you’d think, is it. If archer can’t break the partnership, this match is a draw. He goes around to Jadeja, his loosener generating decent lift; nothing doing. His pace, though, is still in the 80s and, though we can understand why – he’s been out a long time, it’s day five, and the run-up isn’t hard enough to generate momentum – it’s not what’s required here. Two singles come from the over and, with 26 remaining, India lead by 37.
126th over: India 346-4 (Washington 67, Jadeja 66) Can England send Broad out to flip the bails? We’re at that point, I’d say. Dawson, seeking the rough he hits during his last over, takes a single, then Archer hurls in wildly, Brook diving in the slips to save buzzers. One from the over, and it’s Jofra time.
125th over: India 345-4 (Washington 67, Jadeja 65) Washington takes one to midwicket as the start of this latest Woakes over; increasingly, it looks like a burst from Archer is all England have left. Al the more so as four innocuous dots follow, before a single to Jadeja adds one more.
124th over: India 343-4 (Washington 66, Jadeja 64) Bowling to a slip, leg slip, silly mid-off, short mid-on and short cover, Dawson gets a bit of extra bounce, hitting Jadeja on the thumb then, next ball, he hits the rough, hits the back thigh, and there’s a monstrous appeal. No says the umpire, England have no reviews remaining, and we see that impact was outside the line; the officiating has been excellent in this match. Maiden and, for the first time in time, a bit of threat.
123rd over: India 343-4 (Washington 66, Jadeja 64) Why has reverse-swing gone out of the game to the extent that it has? Is it just that bowlers aren’t as good as generating it? Or is the ball not conducive? Pitches insufficiently abrasive? I imagine the answer involves a bit of all three, but England’s inability to take wickets with the old ball has been a massive weakness in this series, and, looking to land a slower ball in the rough, Woakes ends up inviting Washington to step forward; he doesn’t miss out, bisecting the two covers with a drive to the fence for four. Those are the only runs from the over and India lead by 32 with 30 overs remaining.
122nd over: India 339-4 (Washington 62, Jadeja 64) As before: three singles followed by three dots, and India lead by 28. Dawson isn’t making it happen.
121st over: India 336-4 (Washington 60, Jadeja 63) We’ve 33 overs to go in the day; is there a point at which we call it and say draw? Not yet, of course, and I doubt the batters mind putting more miles into the legs of the England bowlers but, as Stuart Broad noted during the interval, this is a draw-pitch. I guess one wicket, a right-hander in, and things might change, but in the meantime, three singles come from the first three balls of the over, then three dots. I don’t know, I’d think about asking Archer to bend his back and try some short stuff; we’re at that stage of desperation.
“Greetings from sunny Cephalonia,” brags Colum Fordham, ‘though I’m working on a translation of a book on Pompeii, not reclining on a sun-bed (though following the OBO). Jadeja’s temperament – extraordinary talent and doggedness – has been exemplary. And Washington Sundar has been superb too. But it does make you think: what if Joe Root had taken that catch to dismiss Jadeja first ball off Archer? Match would/could have had an entirely different trajectory. But life – and Test cricket – is all about what actually happens, bit like Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius. It does look like the series is going to be decided in the fifth test now.”
120th over: India 333-4 (Washington 58, Jadeja 62) Nass notes that the most likely form of dismissal during this partnership has been the run out, which reminds me of something KP once told me: when England were gameplanning for how to dismiss Jacques Kallis, all they could come up with was “run-out candidate early in his innings”. Back to our match, though, with the field up and Dawson bowling from around, Jadeja smears over the on-side for four, then twinkles down the track and clobbers back down the ground for four to long-on. So the bowler goes back over, still unable to hit the rough.
119th over: India 324-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 54) Bowling with a short cover, Jadeja blocks Woakes’ loosener nice and solidly, then forces a single to deep square; offered a straightun, Washington also shovels into the on-side for one. The only way I can see England breaking this partnership is if Archer or Stokes produce something, but perhaps Dawson, who’ll bowl from the other end, can hit the rough – as commanded by his captain.
Nasser reckons India need to bat 25 overs to be safe. There are 35 left in the day, but we’ll lose a couple if England clean up this innings – which does not look likely. But if they can just break this partnership, you never know, and Chris Woakes will be next to try.
Back come wa teams. When was the last time every Test of a series was still going on the afternoon of day five?
“Songs called Helpless…” begins Scott Blair. “You could save this one up for when there’s a wicket. ‘Ooh there’s something happening…’”
Over the years, recent ones in particular, we’ve seen touring teams fade away as the weight of being away from home while losing matches takes its toll. But the way India have fought here has been really impressive, and says plenty about both the individuals and Shubman Gill’s tough but quiet leadership.
118th over: India 322-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 53) Jadeja such an interesting character, excitable and confrontational yet with the resting pulse-rate of a table. He takes the final ball of the over for a single, raising the hunnert partnership, completing a session of 98 runs and no wickets. Brilliantly batted by both him and Washington and, as they walk off, Stokes hauls Dawson to the stumps to illustrate what he wants relative to what he’s getting. See you in 15 or so; I can’t wait.
117th over: India 321-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 52) Jadeja wants a single to cover but Washington sends him back; meantime, Archer runs in and loses both feet. He does, though, takes one to cover shortly afterwards, the only run from this latest Dawson over; the final delivery of it keeps low, but Washington digs it out. One over to go before tea, the lead 10 and overs remaining 36.
116th over: India 320-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 51) Five dots from Root, then a drive-ball … and Washington doesn’t miss out, whamming high between point and cover for four. It’s so affirming to see these two assaulted by pressure and responding by cussing its mum; they’re having a great time.
115th over: India 316-4 (Washington 53, Jadeja 51) Jadeja forces to midwicket, sets off, sees Stokes is the man fielding, and changes his mind. I meant to say, incidentally, when he recorded his fifty, that it’s his fourth on the spin and his fifth of the series. Or, in other words, he’s good enough to bat in the top six, meaning India can surely drop a batter to get Kuldeep into the side? Anyhow, a single to each batter keeps the score moving, India now in front by five, and there’s no sense of imminent breakthrough as we near tea.
“We’re heading home,” confesses Allan MacDonald, “admitting defeat on potentially seeing a result tonight. Terrible part-timer behaviour but in my defence I need to drive to Inverness tonight and MacDonald Junior is too young to contribute at 15…
Here’s hoping we’ve made a terrible decision and you get to breathlessly type out an unlikely England victory snatched from the jaws of defeat a draw.”
I smell a grudge for the ages.
114th over: India 314-4 (Washington 52, Jadeja 50) If India hang on here, both teams will have some decisions to make for the Oval. With the series in the balance, will Bumrah – though he’s had a poor one – really sit it out? Needing a win and knowing they’ll almost definitely field last, can the selectors really leave Kuldeep out again? I’m obviously partial here – I’d like England to win – but even I’m even more partial when it comes to this thing of ours, and this contest of ours deserves a live final Test. Root replaces Stokes and rushes through a maiden.
113th over: India 314-4 (Washington 52, Jadeja 50) Dawson replaces Carse and, on a day-five pitch, he’ll know making a difference is in his job description. He begins his spell with five dots, then Washington turns to square leg for a single, England’s lead now just three.
112th over: India 313-4 (Washington 51, Jadeja 50) Ahahahaha! Stokes’ first ball is short and Washington absolutely devastates it, pulling over deep backward square for six, then hauling the next delivery to the same fence for four, raising a fantastic fifty in the process. So Stokes goes short again, this time into the body; a poorly-executed pull squirts into the off-side for one, the England captain sharing some thoughts on the matter. But he’s not quite making it work so far this spell, and after a leg bye, Jadeja cuts to the point fence fo fo mo. That’s his fifty, and he celebrates with bat-sword swishing. Can Stoikes find his gun? Not right now, a dot completing an over which yielded 15 runs.
111st over: India 298-4 (Washington 41, Jadeja 46) Two dots, then Jadeja cuts a short, wide one – ball, not person – to the fence at deep third. The partnership is 76, India’s deficit 13, and the overs remaining 42.
“So the wide means India get a run and brings closer that England have to bat again and bat some of the remaining balls,” notes Shantanu Karve. “But India have to face another ball! A wide should be an unambiguous advantage for the batting team and penalty for the bowlers. In this circumstance, it’s not clear cut. Once upon a time, I’d have had a bash at a game theory evaluation of this situation. Would someone like to have a go?”
As long as that someone isn’t me. But a beauty of cricket, and of pretty much every sport, is that things that appear disadvantageous can sometimes become advantageous. In football, say, a team might have a player sent off, not what they want, but it might alter the kind of game to one that suits them better, and so on.
110th over: India 294-4 (Washington 41, Jadeja 42) Washington takes a single, then Stokes unleashes a spiteful bouncer; Jadeja collapses to get out of the road and, offered another short one, collars a pull for two, Root cutting off the boundary. A single follows, and I’m going to say it again because it can’t be said often enough: Ravindra Jadeja is a helluva cricketer.
“As someone who similarly endured the late 80s and 90s witnessing the search for the ‘next Botham’,” begins Sean Clayton, “I wonder if we’ve broken the cycle over the last 20 years (with Flintoff then the likes of Bresnan, Moeen, etc). Alternatively, have we just been blessed with a good run-up to the current skipper, with a desperate search for ‘the new Stokes’ about to launch after the Ashes?”
I guess multi-dimensional cricketers are almost a given these days, so when the time comes – and I’d be shocked if it’s post-Ashes – the problem of replacing Stokes won’t be filling the spot in the team, but rather finding someone of similarly talismanic, shamanic qualities.
109th over: India 290-4 (Washington 40, Jadeja 39) Carse is under a bit of pressure here – he’s shown plenty across this series but he’s not taken many wickets and, with Wood soon to return, his position is vulnerable. Paradoxically, perhaps all the more so if England win here, because if they do, they’ll most likely rotate for the Oval. Maiden.
108th over: India 290-4 (Washington 40, Jadeja 39) “All I have’s my honour, a tolerance for pain, a couple of World Cup wins and my top-notch brain,” as Lin-Manuel Miranda almost said of England’s absurd captain. He begins with a wide and no-ball in two of his first three deliveries, then Jadeja plays into the off-side for one and it’s still pretty comfortable for the batters.
