Crawley falls late as India take upper hand

Fifth Rothesay Test, The Kia Oval (day three of five)

India 224 (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33, Tongue 3-57) & 396 (Jaiswal 118; Tongue 5-125)

England 247 (Crawley 64, Brook 53; Krishna 4-62, Siraj 4-86) & 50-1 (Siraj 1-11)

England need 324 runs to win

Scorecard

Zak Crawley was dismissed from the penultimate ball of day three after England had started to make steady progress in pursuit of an imposing 374 to win the fifth Test against India at The Oval.

The opener was bowled by Mohammed Siraj for 14 as the hosts reached 50-1 at the close, needing a further 324 runs to win, with Ben Duckett unbeaten on 34 to conclude another gripping day.

Despite Crawley's departure, England will be boosted by the much-improved batting conditions after they spent most of the day in the field as India racked up 396 under brighter skies.

The pitch flattened and offered far less seam movement, with Yashasvi Jaiswal's sublime 118 the highlight for the tourists.

There was also a surprising maiden Test fifty for Akash Deep, who added 107 for the third wicket with Jaiswal as England started poorly, unable to take the wicket of the nightwatchman until the final 10 minutes before lunch.

Deep was put down on 21, one of six dropped catches in the innings for England as their makeshift bowling line-up - without the injured Chris Woakes - toiled admirably but were again let down in the field.

Gus Atkinson pinned captain Shubman Gill lbw for 12 with the first ball after lunch as England improved, but Ravindra Jadeja continued his fine form with 53 and Washington Sundar, with India nine down, blitzed four sixes in a 39-ball fifty to give India the upper hand.

Josh Tongue claimed the final three wickets, having also dismissed Jaiswal earlier, to finish with 5-125 for his wholehearted efforts.

It feels fitting that England chased 371 to beat India in the opening match at Headingley to ignite a fiery series, though there is rain forecast for Sunday which could impact their aim of comfortably completing the highest Test chase at The Oval, which is currently England's 263-9 against Australia in 1902.

India started the day with a lead of 52 and there was an immediate sense of trepidation regarding England's depleted bowling attack and the sun shining for the best batting conditions of the Test so far.

Jaiswal, who was put down on 20 and 40 late on day three, took the back seat early on as Deep was England's unlikely nemesis.

Crawley dropped the chance in the slips, but Deep's half-century was a well-deserved punishment for England bowling far too short in the opening hour.

Overton got the breakthrough shortly before lunch, with Deep caught in the covers for 66, and Atkinson's wicket of Gill saw hopes of a fightback glimmer.

But the imperious Jaiswal remained, reaching his second century of the series from 127 balls as he expertly punished England's inconsistency. Collectively, they bowled far too short and wide to him, exemplified by 72 runs of his first 100 runs being scored behind square on the off side.

England's six drops – others being Brook's spill of Karun Nair at slip on 12 and a much tougher chance for Duckett at leg-slip when Jaiswal had 110 – were their most in an innings since 2006 and India's prodigious opener ensured they paid the price.

England responded well after lunch as they tightened their lines and were rewarded with the three wickets of Gill, Nair and Jaiswal, but once again it was Jadeja who was the second-innings thorn in their side.

The all-rounder reached his fifth fifty of the series, sharing stands of 44 with Jaiswal and 50 with Dhruv Jurel, to end the series with 516 runs at an average of 86.

Brook eventually held on at slip as Jadeja nicked off to Tongue for 53 which was the first time he had been dismissed in the second innings all series, and at that time India's lead was 334 – still a significant challenge, but achievable for an England batting line-up renowned for embracing such chases.

Tongue pinned Siraj lbw two balls later as they looked to wrap things up at a canter but Washington, on 17 from 23 balls when the ninth wicket fell, had other ideas.

England curiously reverted to bowling short as he whacked four enormous sixes to reach a half-century, expertly protecting Prasidh Krishna from the strike in a potentially match-winning partnership.

Stand-in captain Ollie Pope had little choice but to work his seamers relentlessly with little turn on offer for part-time spinners Joe Root and Jacob Bethell, and already being a bowler down after Woakes' shoulder injury on day one.

Tongue toiled for 30 overs, Atkinson bowled 27 and added three wickets to his first-innings five-for but Overton was again ineffective and heaped the pressure on the pair, finishing with 2-98.