The Indian bowling unit, led by pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, blew away the England middle order to guide India to a solid 157-run victory in the fourth Test of the five-match Test series at the Oval, on Monday. Chasing 368 for a win, England were positioned nicely at 131/2 in the opening session but lost six wickets in the middle session, courtesy of Bumrah and Jadeja.
The hosts were eventually all out for 210 as India took a 2-1 lead in the Test series.
The Indian pace attack in the post-lunch session ran through England’s batting line-up implode as the visitors were just two wickets away at tea.
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Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each, with Umesh Yadav joining the party in the last ball before Tea to guide India to the brink of victory.
England lost six wickets for 62 runs in the second session and were all out in post-tea session.
Bumrah dismissed Ollie Pope (2) and Jonny Bairstow (0) while Jadeja saw the back of Haseeb Hameed (63) and Moeen Ali (0). Shardul Thakur got the key wicket of rival skipper Joe Root (36) while Umesh Yadav dismissed Chris Woakes (18), Craig Overton (10) and James Anderson (2).
Bumrah (22-9-27-2) and Jadeja (30-11-50-2) hit England hard with their bowling guile.
When India’s man-of-the-moment Shardul Thakur’s (8-1-22-2) off-cutter was dragged back onto the stumps by Joe Root, it was the sign of the end of the English resistance.
Earlier, opener Haseeb Hameed was the first to depart after Lunch, bowled by a peach of a delivery from Jadeja. Ollie Pope fell next, with Bumrah cathching him by surprise with an inswinger, which went through his defences to rattle the stumps. That was Bumrah’s 100th Test wicket.
He followed it up with a yorker to get rid of Jonny Bairstow, with Jadeja dismissing Moeen Ali soon after. Thakur got the big wicket of Joe Root, who played a short-length delivery onto his stumps.
Umesh Yadav then removed Chris Woakes as the Umpire called for Tea.
