India scripted history at the Kennington Oval in 2021 after beating England in the 4th Test match. The England tour proved to be quite epic for the Virat Kohli-led team as they took the lead in the series 2-1, however, lost the final Test which was played in July 2022. The final Test was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Dominating England in their own backyard is an achievement that India endured after showcasing some unforgettable performances throughout the series.
However, James Anderson's review in the last ball of the 4th Test will always be the highlight of the series. Even after edging the bat, Anderson went for a review, which was hilarious. The series victory was extremely important for the Indian team since they faced much criticism regarding their players' performances.
The toss went in England's favour as they invited the visitors to bat first. India did lose some early wickets to start off, but skipper Kohli (50) and Shardul Thakur (57) formed a brilliant partnership that led to 191 runs. Chris Woakes was brilliant in the first innings, claiming four wickets. That was not it. Woakes (50) decided to smash India's bowling attack as well when England came in to bat. Like India, the hosts lost some early wickets, but Ollie Pope (81) and Woakes handled the innings well.
Tables turned for India in the 2nd innings
As England took a lead of almost 100 runs, it was time for India to set a strong target to defend in front of the mighty English batting attack. Fortunately, the tables turned for India as the top order, including Rohit Sharma (127), KL Rahul (46), and Cheteshwar Pujara (61), gave a mindblowing start to the innings by trashing the English bowlers.
Every ball they bowled was defended and hit by the batters. Even skipper Kohli scored 44 runs off 96 balls, giving confidence to the middle-order batters. Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur showed their destructive batting approach, scoring half-centuries and taking the target to 367 runs. Scoring 300+ on the fifth-day pitch is not everybody's cup of tea, even though the pitch was in the batters' favour.
However, much to England's surprise, their middle order stumbled, costing them the match and the series. It was opener Rory Burns's (50) and Haseeb Hameed's (63) efforts, due to which England scored 210 runs and lost the game by 157 runs. All the Indian bowlers have made equal contributions in scripting history at the Oval with their terrific performances. Rohit was given the Player of the Match award for a magnificent century.
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