Day 3 Drama at The Oval: Siraj Strikes Late as England Chases 374!

From Jaiswal’s Heroics to Sundar’s Fireworks and a Crucial Late Wicket, India Fights Hard, Leaving England 324 Runs Away with Two Days to Play in a Riveting Test Match.

On Saturday, August 2, 2025, in London, UK: We just had a terrific day of Test cricket at the famous Kennington Oval! There were a lot of ups and downs, wonderful moments, heroic attempts, and that Test match excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat. At the end of Day 3, Mohammed Siraj made a brilliant play that knocked Zak Crawley’s bails off. To win, England needs to score 324 more runs, while India needs to get nine more wickets. There are still two days of fun things to do. You could cut through the air with a knife

A Quick Start, Then Siraj’s Magic Begin the Chase in England
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had a hard job to do when they opened for England: they had to get 374 runs. They moved fast and forcefully, as if they were trying to make a point. For a time, they appeared like they were cruising along, putting up a nice 50-run combination that might have scared Indian fans. But then, at the end of the day, the fiery Mohammed Siraj showed up and had other plans for the celebration.

Crawley was ready for a bouncer, but Siraj threw a yorker that was too fast and hard to hit. The ball hit the stumps with a gratifying thud, sending Crawley’s bails flying into the air in London! He left quickly, scoring 14 runs off 36 balls, which made England’s score 50/1. When the stumps rattled, it wasn’t just a dismissal; it was the conclusion of Day 3’s play in a big way. England’s locker room would have had something to ponder about all night after this scene. Ben Duckett, on the other hand, kept strong and concluded the day with 34 runs off 48 balls. The next day, he was ready to battle again.

The Good, the Bad, and Sundar’s Amazing Blitz in India’s Innings
India’s innings featured its own exciting drama before England’s chase. At the start of the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal (51) and Akash Deep (4) held the fort, giving India a bigger lead. Jaiswal, who was very grown up, maintained playing effectively and helped India get above the 100-run mark. He and Deep even celebrated a great 50-run stand for the third wicket, with Deep getting his first Test fifty. This event was a lot of fun for the young gamer. This mix, along with others, helped set a record: the 18th hundred partnership in the series, which is the most in any Test series this century!

A lot of people were worried about the second session, though. Gus Atkinson got rid of Shubman Gill fast; he only scored 11 runs. Jaiswal, the hero of the innings, scored a fantastic century (100 off 127 balls), which made the Indian camp very happy! But Josh Tongue got him out after 118 runs (164 balls), which ended his brave innings. Karun Nair (17) also departed.

It seemed like India could lose, but Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel came to the rescue. Jurel and Jadeja teamed together to build a big partnership that got India past 300 runs just before tea. Jadeja, who is always ready to fight, scored a wonderful fifty and celebrated by waving his sword around like he often does. That was an extremely emotional time!

But the drama wasn’t ended yet. Jadeja was well for a while, but then he pushed a pass from Josh Tongue to Harry Brook and went after a quiet 53. Then, in the same over, India couldn’t believe it when Mohammed Siraj was called out LBW. Even if the review showed a clear inside advantage, India didn’t have any more reviews remaining. Siraj was really upset at this tremendous blow, but he had to go back.

Washington Sundar thought it was time for fireworks when the reviews were done and wickets were falling. He really stepped up his game when he hit a huge maximum off Gus Atkinson and then two more amazing sixes from Tongue in the next over. He kept bothering Atkinson, easily finding the gaps and hitting his own blazing fifty (53 runs off just 46 balls) with a thundering shot over deep mid-wicket that disappeared into the crowd. What a tremendous show of aggressive batting while the heat was on!

In the end, Josh Tongue ended Sundar’s run-fest with a well-deserved five-wicket haul (5/125). During his daring innings, Sundar tried to clip the ball, but it went up in the air and Zak Crawley made a great catch. After India’s innings concluded at 396, Sundar walked back.

The England bowlers did a great job. Gus Atkinson took three important wickets (3/99), Josh Tongue took five (5/125), while Jamie Overton took one (1/74).

It’s time for a fun fourth day. Will England be able to catch up to this tough total, or will India’s bowlers stand up and win a great match? The cricket world is on the edge of its seat!

Quick Scores:

India scored 224 and 396 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal got 118 runs, Akash Deep got 66 runs, Ravindra Jadeja got 53 runs, and Washington Sundar got 53 runs. Josh Tongue got 5 wickets for 125 runs, and Gus Atkinson got 3 wickets for 99 runs.

England: 247 and 50/1 (Ben Duckett 34*, Zak Crawley 14; Mohammed Siraj 1-11)