The fifth Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between England and India kicks off today (July 31) at London’s Kennington Oval. India last played a Test at this venue in 2023, facing Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. In that match, skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first.
India started well by reducing Australia to 76/3, but a 285-run partnership between Head (163) and Smith (121) took Australia to 469. Siraj impressed with four wickets. In response, several Indian batters got starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores, resulting in a collapse to 71/4 within 18.2 overs.
However, Ajinkya Rahane (89), Shardul Thakur (51), and Ravindra Jadeja (48) steadied the innings and guided India to a total of 296 in their first innings. Australia then posted 270/8 declared in their second innings, setting India a challenging target of 444 runs.
Key contributions came from Alex Carey (66*), Mitchell Starc (41), and Marnus Labuschagne (41), who all added valuable runs to the scoreboard. Rohit (43), Kohli (49), and Rahane (46) showed resistance, but lacked backing from others as India folded for 234, facing a heavy 209-run loss.
England lead the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1 ahead of the 5th Test
The series has been fiercely contested, with all four Tests stretching into the fifth day and remaining open to multiple outcomes. England claimed victories in the first and third Tests at Headingley and Lord’s, while India secured a dominant win in the second Test at Edgbaston.
In the fourth Test at Manchester, India’s batters showed great resilience to force a draw, keeping the series alive at 1-2 ahead of the final clash. The focus now shifts to the Kennington Oval in London, where India have a modest record—just two wins in 15 matches.
They’ve lost six times at the venue, with the remaining seven games ending in draws. India’s most recent win at the Oval came in 2021, when Rohit Sharma starred with a vital third-innings century (127), helping his side to a memorable victory.
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