I’m really proud of the character the team has shown, especially this morning. It’s definitely among the top three bowling performances I have witnessed as India captain
Virat Kohli
India captain
LONDON: India beat England by 157 runs to win the fourth Test at the Oval on Monday and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The hosts, set 368 to win, were dismissed for 210 after tea on the last day as India triumphed in a match taking place just over fifty years on from their first Test — and series — win in England at the Oval in 1971.
England were relatively well-placed at 141-2 after lunch before left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah both struck twice in a spectacular collapse that saw the hosts lose four wickets for six runs in 36 balls.
Recalled paceman Umesh Yadav, who took 3-60, cleaned up the tail and ended the match when James Anderson was caught behind.
Earlier in the match, opener Rohit Sharma made 127 — after being missed twice in the slips — for his first Test hundred outside of India as the tourists piled up 466 in their second innings, having conceded a first-innings lead of 99.
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur, recalled after suffering a hamstring injury in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, hit half-centuries in both innings and the paceman also captured the key wicket of England captain Joe Root on Monday.
India captain Virat Kohli hailed his team’s final-day exploits.
“I’m really proud of the character the team has shown, especially this morning,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s definitely among the top three bowling performances I have witnessed as India captain.”
Root credited India’s bowlers for the skillful use of reverse swing but rued his team’s inability to make their first-innings lead of 99 runs.
“They got the ball to reverse and made good use of that. It was a brilliant spell of bowling from Bumrah and that really was the turning point,” Root said.
The series concludes with the fifth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, starting on Friday. — AFP
Brief scores
India 1st Innings 191 (S Thakur 57, V Kohli 50; C Woakes 4-55, O Robinson 3-38)
England 1st innings 290 (O Pope 81, C Woakes 50; U Yadav 3-76)
India 2nd Innings 466 (R Sharma 127, C Pujara 61, S Thakur 60, R Pant 50; C Woakes 3-83)
England 2nd Innings (H Hameed 63, R Burns 50; U Yadav 3-60)
Result: India won by 157 runs
Series: India lead five-match series 2-1
