5th Test: Washington Sundar’s towering sixes, Mohammed Siraj’s end-of-day strike set up thrilling finale at the Oval

Maybe, for one last time in this series, the cliché can be repeated. The first hour tomorrow will decide this Test and series. But lately, it isn’t risk-free to predict the path of Test matches in these parts. In a contest where no one gives up, England will have to pick themselves up one more time. And getting from the bed, preferably the right side, will be their last challenge of the series.

The weather forecast for Day 4 of the Test predicts rain in the second session and a virtual washout after tea. Though, the timing and intensity of the showers in England, like the Oval pitch, don’t come with a guarantee.

Keeping in mind the unpredictability of the pitch behaviour at Oval, India knew they had to set England a tough target. What if the ball suddenly stops swinging – like it did this morning after he was jagging around the previous evening?

And to give England an intimidating target, India needed all hands on deck. Starting with the nightwatchman Akash Deep, who stuck around for most of the first session to help India nose ahead in the match. His partner Jaiswal seemed a man transformed. From the risk-taking attacker, he had turned into a good old strong and solid opener. And it didn’t bother him that even Akash Deep was out-scoring him. He was making a very conscious decision to curb his instincts.

Akash Deep stuck around for most of the first session to help India nose ahead in the match. (PTI Photo)

Watchful Jaiswal

After virtually every shot, Jaiswal would take a walk to the square leg area. He would defend a ball and walk the breadth of two pitches next to the central wicket. If he played and missed, he would be striding again, cut off from the world, almost in meditative mode. Jaiswal was under scrutiny and, it seems, he knew that he needed to make amends to his record on this tour.

Before this Test, there was a growing feeling in the Indian dressing room that Jaiswal needed to turn up more often when the team needed him the most. In the last four Tests, Jaiswal had scored close to 400 and hit a hundred but his statistics had a dark smudge – the gulf in his first and second innings scores. 1st innings scores: 101, 87, 13, 58. 2nd innings scores: 4, 28, 0, 0.

Of the 396 runs in the 8 innings he had played before the final Test, 359 had come about in the first inning and only 37 in the second. It was his two ducks in the second innings at Lord’s and Manchester that had hurt the team the most. At Lord’s, Jaiswal’s non-contribution was felt in the team’s 22-run loss and at Manchester it put additional pressure on the batsmen to follow, forcing them to play out their skins.

At Oval, that trend turned upside down. After scoring 2 in the first inning, Jaiswal hit 118, not quite a flawless knock but a significant one in his young career. Last evening the left-handed opener was dropped when on 20 and 40, today again they gave him a reprieve when on 114. But Jaiswal’s century was timely, it came on the series-deciding day of this gripping series between two almost equal opponents.

Jaiswal’s century was timely, it came on the series-deciding day of this gripping series between two almost equal opponents. (AP Photo)

Calculated risks

The Oval has been lucky for India. Before the Test, Ben Stokes was ruled out because of injury and Jofra Archer was rested. But India have made their luck. The incredible resilience they showed at Manchester – KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar pulling off an unlikely draw – had made its impact. By keeping England enough on the field, England had to rest virtually their entire bowling attack.

Like Jaiswal was making the many chances count, Washington too was taking calculated risks. With his innings today he made a case for himself to be promoted up the order. He also came up with a new plan of batting with tailenders, something that even the Bazballers should take note of.

When the field is spread far and wide, it is easier to clear the rope by taking the aerial route rather than finding gaps. But for that, you need the eye and wrists of the Tamil Nadu all-rounder. He didn’t knock around the ball and take singles on the final ball. Washington blasted over the fielder’s head. There were two standout strokes – the first was his old-favourite pick-up shot that cleared fine leg and the one he belted over deep mid-wicket to complete his fifty. This was England getting their medicine. Was it the last straw on England’s back in this series?