Will Siraj's Magic Take Down Crawley and England?

In London, Aug 3 (NationPress) Mohammed Siraj delivered a sensational yorker that sent Zak Crawley back to the pavilion, leaving England at 50/1 after 13.5 overs as day three concluded in the fifth Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test against India at The Oval. With 324 runs still needed to clinch victory, the pressure mounts on the hosts.

After bowling India out for 396, England faced a target of 374 to win. They managed to survive a tense last hour, but Siraj’s dismissal of Crawley for 14 at the close of play provided India with a significant boost ahead of the pivotal day four. Siraj shares the title of leading wicket-taker in the series with Josh Tongue from England.

Crawley and Ben Duckett (34 not out) began with a lively start, as India opted for Prasidh Krishna to share the new ball with Akash Deep instead of Siraj. Despite a couple of deliveries from Akash showing extra bounce, the Indian bowlers lacked seam movement, causing minimal trouble for the England batsmen.

Duckett effortlessly found boundaries off Prasidh’s fuller deliveries, while Crawley struck fours from both Akash and Prasidh. After a maiden from Siraj, Crawley faced 18 consecutive dot balls before finally scoring a single.

As stumps approached, the opening pair surpassed 50 runs, appearing to secure an unscathed end to the day. However, Siraj produced an outstanding inswinging yorker that breached Crawley’s defenses, hitting the off-stump and creating a memorable moment for India, who aim to equalize the series at 2-2.

Earlier in the session, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar each contributed 53 runs as India was bowled out for 396 in 88 overs. The day began with Akash Deep scoring an entertaining 66, marking his first Test fifty, followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 118, his sixth Test century. Jadeja and Sundar, who timed their innings well, added crucial runs, setting a challenging target for England.

Josh Tongue claimed 5-125, while Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton took 3-127 and 2-98 respectively. India initially built a lead exceeding 330 runs before Overton trapped Dhruv Jurel lbw for 34. Jadeja recorded his fifth fifty of the series with a boundary off Tongue before edging to second slip. Tongue then trapped Siraj lbw shortly after.

Sundar accelerated impressively, hitting Atkinson for six over midwicket and following it up with back-to-back boundaries. He reached his fifth Test fifty in just 39 balls with a six off Tongue.

In an attempt to add another six, Sundar skied a catch into the leg side, where Crawley held on despite colliding with Ollie Pope, securing Tongue’s five-wicket haul. England now faces the daunting task of achieving their second-highest chase in Tests, with 324 runs remaining.

Brief Scores: India 224 and 396 in 88 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 118, Akash Deep 66; Josh Tongue 5-125, Gus Atkinson 3-127) lead England 247 and 50/1 in 13.5 overs (Ben Duckett 34 not out; Mohammed Siraj 1-11) by 324 runs.