After the draw in Manchester, the focus shifts to the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at Kennington Oval, London. While India's win drought at the Old Trafford continued, it is not all doom and gloom for India at the fifth Test venue. From 14 Tests against England at The Oval, India have two wins, seven draws whereas five ended in losses.
The first-ever Test at The Oval between India and England was played in 1936, 11 years before India's independence. India were able to avoid an innings defeat while following on but lost the Test by nine wickets. The first draw at the venue in 1946 was a result of rain.
Historic win in 1971
India's first win at The Oval came in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar's leadership. Leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar's six-wicket haul helped India bowl out England for 101 in their second innings. India chased down the target of 173 with four wickets in hand.
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Gavaskar's double century leads to a thrilling draw
The most interesting draw at the venue took place in 1979. After India were bowled out for 202 in their first innings, the hosts set them a target of 438. To their surprise, openers Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan shared a 213-run partnership. Then Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar shared a 153-run partnership for the second wicket. Gavaskar continued to stand tall and completed his double century. It was Ian Botham who dismissed him for 221. India tried to chase the total down but fell short by nine runs. The Test ended in a draw as India had 429/8 at the end of day's play.
Series of draws featuring Dravid-Harbhajan brilliance in 2002
From 1979 to 2007, India and England played five draws at the venue. During this time, Rahul Dravid scored a double century in 2002. Harbhajan Singh also became the first spinner since Chandrasekhar to take a fifer at the venue since Chandrasekhar.
3 huge losses on the trot
In 2011, India lost by an innings and eight runs despite Dravid's century. For England, Ian Bell starred with a double ton whereas Graeme Swann claimed nine wickets. In 2014, India were bowled out cheaply in both innings and lost the Test by an innings and 244 runs. In 2018, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul scored centuries but India fell short of the mammoth 464-run target by 118 runs.
India batters stage turnaround, end 50-year wait
It was in 2021, India ended the five-decade wait for a win at The Oval. After getting bowled out for 191 in the first innings, the Indian batting lineup stood up to the task. Rohit Sharma scored a century, Rahul and Virat Kohli contributed with fifties whereas Cheteshwar Pujara, Pant, Shardul Thakur scored fifites. India posted 446 and set a target of 368. India bowled out England for 210 and won the Test by 157 runs.
WTC 2023 final loss to Australia
However, the last time India played at The Oval was in World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final. India could not recover from Steve Smith and Travis Head's tons in first innings. The batters failed to convert starts into big scores as India lost 209 runs.