The last and decisive match of the exciting five-match Test series being played between India and England is being played at Kennington Oval in London. This series is in favor of England 2-1. Today, i.e., Monday, 4 August, is the fifth and last day of this match. The match has reached a very exciting point, where England needs only 35 runs to win, while India needs 4 wickets.
In this decisive match, England’s young wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith is standing as a wall between the victory of the Indian team. This young player is known for his aggressive attitude. In this article, we will know why Jamie Smith’s wicket is so important for the Indian team and the complete situation of this exciting match.
This English batsman became a wall in the middle of victory
In this Test series being played between India and England, new excitement has been seen in every match. Now the series will be decided on the last day.
Why is Jamie Smith’s wicket important for victory?
The biggest name between England’s victory and India’s defeat at the moment is Jamie Smith. Jamie Smith has scored 434 runs in 9 innings so far in this series at an impressive average of 72.33, and he is 8th in the list of highest run-scorers. He is known for his aggressive batting and can change the course of the match single-handedly. If the Indian bowlers get Smith out in the first one or two overs of this morning, it will be easy for India to win the match. Smith has troubled India a lot in the past as well. Fans will surely remember his unbeaten innings of 184 runs at Edgbaston, although England did not win that Test.
Status of the match so far
In this match, the Indian team, who came out to bat first after losing the toss, disappointed in the first innings and were all out for 224 runs. However, the bowlers of Team India made a brilliant comeback and bundled out England for 247 runs, and did not let them take much of a lead in the first innings.
In the second innings, the Indian batsmen performed brilliantly and scored 396 runs, setting a challenging target of 374 runs for England to win. For India, Yashasvi Jaiswal played a brilliant century of 118 runs in the second innings, while Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also scored half-centuries. Josh Tongue took 5 wickets in the second innings for England.
Final day’s thrill
The fourth day’s play had to be ended early due to poor light and rain, which dragged the match into the fifth day. Now the match can go in any team’s favor. By the end of the fourth day, England’s score was 339 for 6. England need 35 more runs to win, while India need 4 wickets. Jamie Smith (2 runs) and Jamie Overton (0 runs) are at the crease. For India, Prasidh Krishna has taken 3, Mohammad Siraj has taken 2, and Akash Deep has taken 1 wicket.
India will have to take the remaining 4 wickets as early as this morning to draw this match and the series. It will be interesting to see if the Indian bowlers can do this miracle or if Jamie Smith plays another brilliant innings and leads his team to victory.