The fourth Test match between India and England simply cannot get better. The match has been like a pendulum so far, going from one end to another. The match that belonged to England for the first two days dramatically started going in India's favour on Day 3. In fact, two sessions on Day 4, too, were dominated by the Indian lower-order batsmen, but the last session did the trick for England and brought them right into the game. The openers have built a solid partnership of 77 runs while chasing 368 in the final innings of the Test.
The scenario: India needs 10 wickets to win the match, while England needs 291 more runs to seal the Test match. 90 overs lie in between them!
So, will the last innings woes of England and Joe Root come to an end or will the ghost of Lord's haunt team England once again? Any cricket pundit at this stage will not be able to guess the winner of the Test match but one thing is for sure that the Test is evenly poised and it is the perfect platform that any match could have before the start of Day 5.
The Ghost Of Lord's
The second Test at Lord's Cricket Ground was for Joe Root to lose and he lost it. The England team could have easily batted on the last day without being tentative in their approach, but perhaps the late flurry from India's two fast-bowlers would have shaken the confidence of the home team.
England needed 271 runs to win on the last day. They looked like they came out to bat to save the Test and not win it as just over two sessions were left in the Day's play. The unthinkable happened and England collapsed like a pack of cards under pressure.
History At The Oval?
As an Indian fan, anyone watching this match will be looking at the highest successful chase at the Oval Ground in London. The highest successful chase at the ground came way back in 1902. It was a score of 263/9 that England made against Australia.
Thus, to chase the total of 368 would mean creating a new record for the history books to remember. England are still far away from the target but if they come out with intent, then to score 291 runs in 90 overs is not a herculean task.