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Mission 2-2! One final stretch – India gear up to conquer The Oval

By Mumbai Indians

There’s a reason why cricket fans keep saying “Long Live Test Cricket” and the ongoing India tour of England 2025 is an ideal example of it! 😎

It’s been edge-of-the-seat action, non-stop drama and pure theatre experience as we head into the fifth Test at The Oval!

All four games have gone down to the wire, with both teams putting their bodies on the line, quite literally! 💪 Although it’s 2-1 in England’s favour at the moment, Team India have one final shot at squaring it up when the boys take the field in London tomorrow.

But first, let’s have a quick revision of what has happened so far… ⏪

1st Test | Century on Test Captaincy debut for Shubman

Gill, YBJ and KL all smashed centuries as Rishabh Pant chipped in with tons in both innings. Bumrah delivered a fiery fifer, but England snuck ahead and took the win.

2nd Test | Historic outing at Edgbaston

Skipper Shubman Gill turned beast mode 🔛 yet again with scores of 269 & 161 (!!!), while Akash Deep (10 wickets) and Siraj (Six wickets) brought the fire with the ball. India stormed back to level the series, recording their maiden Test victory in nine attempts at the venue. 1-1, GAME ON!

3rd Test | One for the ages at the iconic Lord’s

BOOM & KL Rahul etched their names on the Lord’s Honours Board with a sizzling five-fer and a fantastic ton, respectively. Despite a gritty chase, India fell short by just 22 runs. If only that ball hadn’t crawled back to the stumps after Siraj’s near-perfect defense…

4th Test | A tale of five sessions keeps the series alive

With the series at stake, the boys held firm! Trailing by 311 runs in the second innings on Day 4, the visitors found themselves in a spot of bother at 0/2 in the first over itself.

What followed was an inspiring fight in the subsequent sessions–pure resilience to save the blushes. 🫡 Shubman, Washi and Jaddu scored centuries to earn a gutsy draw.

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One name that’s echoed out loud in this series? JASPRIT BUMRAH. 🙌

Jassi is our joint-leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets in three matches, including two five-wicket hauls. His pace-bowling partners have been equally lethal and are set to take the upcoming contest by storm.

…And let’s not forget – this is Shubman’s first series as skipper. He’s led from the front with bat and belief. The way the past few weeks have unfolded reminds you of something?? Yep, the BGT 2020-21!!! 🤩

That famed win in the last encounter of the series, where we ended Australia’s 32-year unbeaten run in Tests at The Gabba, is a living proof that 🇮🇳 simply loves taking challenges head-on against all odds and completing a fearless fightback. Toota hai Gabba ka ghamand… 🔥

Sure, our record at The Oval isn’t the best, but who really cares about the past when the Indian cricket team has given crushing replies time and again?! However, for your reference, here’s how we have fared at The Oval in the longest format of the game:

Tests Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

15

2

7

6

India, let's do this! The Oval awaits. Time for one final punch… 💥