England have scored 131 runs so far with eight wickets in hand, after being handed a target of 237 runs.
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Day 5 of the fourth Test match between England and India started with the hosts needing 291 runs in 90 overs for victory. The match seemed finely poised for a dramatic finish at the time and it still looks that way. Openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed gave England a good start and they were hoping to carry that form into the fifth day. For India, the key would have been early wickets. While the wickets came a bit late, a couple of them fell in relatively quick succession and the pressure seems to be more on the hosts than the visitors. Currently, the two batters in the middle for the Three Lions are Hameed and skipper Joe Root.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has so far used five bowlers in his quest to take a 2-1 lead over England. Of the five, Shardul Thakur is the only one who has managed to bag a wicket. Burns was the one who became his victim as he played the ball and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant made no mistakes behind the stumps. The second wicket was a cheap one as far as England are concerned. Dawid Malan, who seemed to be in fine form, was run out. Getting out that way in the longest format of the game is pretty embarrassing for a batter.
However, England are still very much in the game. Burns gave them a good start on Day 4 and he kept his good run of form going. He scored a well-paced half-century and was dismissed on the 50-run mark by Shardul. His opening partner, Hameed, also seems to be in very good touch. He is still in the middle for the hosts and his innings might prove to be absolutely crucial if England are to go on and win the Oval Test. Hameed is currently batting at 62.
Dawid Malan, who seemed to be in a good vein of form, was cheaply run out. He did not trouble the scorers much as he could only manage to score 5 runs in the innings. Currently, skipper Joe Root is out in the middle with Hameed. Root has been in red hot form this series but he failed to make an impact in England’s first innings in the fourth Test. He will be looking to amend that and make a big score to help his team to an incredible victory.
The bowling performance from the Indians has been an average one so far. They have managed to pick a couple of wickets and Virat Kohli will be hoping that his bowlers can do more damage before Root gets his eye in at the crease. Shardul Thakur is the only one to have taken a wicket so far as he dismissed Burns. The wicket of Malan came in the form of a run-out.
England have scored 131 runs so far and have eight wickets in hand. They will have to get 237 runs in 63 overs to win the match. If Hameed and Root build a strong partnership, India could very well lose their grip on the tie. They will have to take the eight wickets no matter what if they want to make it impossible for England to win the series.
