Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his meteoric rise in Test cricket by scoring his sixth Test century — and second of the series — on Day 3 of the fifth Test at The Oval, leading India’s charge against England.
With this knock, Jaiswal not only bookended the five-match series with centuries — having scored his first at Headingley — but also etched his name into the record books by surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s mark for the most 50+ scores against England by an Indian before turning 24.
Jaiswal reached his century in 125 balls, laced with 11 fours and two sixes. It was his ninth 50+ score against England — eclipsing Tendulkar’s long-standing record of eight — and it came at a crucial moment in the series with India trailing by 23 runs after the first innings.
The young opener’s journey to three figures wasn’t without fortune. He was dropped twice on Day 2 — once on 20 by Harry Brook at second slip and again on 40 by Liam Dawson, who misjudged a regulation chance. However, Jaiswal made England pay for their missed opportunities, holding firm even as wickets tumbled around him.
Jaiswal was involved in a pivotal 107-run third-wicket stand with nightwatchman Akash Deep, whose counterattacking 66 off 94 balls frustrated the English attack.
The partnership took India’s lead to safe territory and exposed the cracks in England’s bowling unit, which missed the likes of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Chris Woakes. Under overcast skies and with the floodlights on, England failed to extract consistent swing, and their fielding woes — including a fourth dropped catch in the innings — left interim captain Ollie Pope short of answers.
Deep, too, had his share of luck. He was dropped on 21 by Zak Crawley off Josh Tongue and made the most of his reprieve, reaching his maiden Test fifty in 70 balls. His knock ended when Gus Atkinson finally struck, but not before India had seized control of the match.
Jaiswal, who had missed out narrowly on a hundred in the second Test at Edgbaston with a score of 87, made no such error this time. His batting has been a revelation this series, adding another dimension to an Indian top order that also saw Shubman Gill flourish.
Gill, who came in after Deep’s dismissal, fell to the very first delivery of the third session, trapped LBW by Atkinson. He finished the series with 754 runs in 10 innings — narrowly missing out on Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian in a single Test series.
