These are the five best batting performances by Indian batsmen at the Oval in London.
England is leading the series 3-1 with emphatic wins at Edgbaston, Lord’s and Southampton. India has only themselves to blame for the loss, as their top order failed to support Virat Kohli in the first two Tests. India found themselves trailing in the fourth Test, especially when Ashwin couldn’t perform to his best on the same pitch where Moeen Ali picked 9 wickets and the series was lost.
However, India still has a lot of hope going into the fifth and final Test match since it has been a very good hunting ground for the Indian batsmen with many of them playing some of the best innings in Test matches at the ground.
Team COC presents the 5 best batting performances by Indian batsmen at the Kennington Oval
ANIL KUMBLE 110*, 2007
He has played many supporting innings for India over the time including a brilliant 88 against South Africa, in support to a rampaging Mohd Azharuddin in 1996. However, if you ever asked him which innings he treasures the most, the answer would probably be his one and only Test century, which came at the Oval in 2007.
It was the third match of the series played at the Oval, which India was leading 1-0 and was on the verge of winning their first series in England since 1986. India batted first and their batsmen went onto pile up runs as Dinesh Karthik (91), Sachin Tendulkar (82), Rahul Dravid (55), MS Dhoni (92), and VVS Laxman (51) made merry.
However, the most exciting innings came from the veteran spinner Kumble, who first supported MS Dhoni and then went on to work on his first century in Tests. He got tremendous support from the tail, with Zaheer playing 75 balls for his 11, but it was S Sreesanth, who gave him the most support by taking on the England bowlers as well and scoring 35 in 49 balls.
Kumble accumulated runs at the other end and finally completed his 1st and only Test century in 180 balls with 15 fours and one six. The shot to reach the century was one of the most awkward ones, as he stepped out to Kevin Pietersen, got an inside edge which beat the keeper Matt Prior and went for four runs and he ecstatically celebrated his most prized achievement, along with 10-fer.
Watch Anil Kumble’s only century here:
RAVI SHASTRI 187, 1990
On India’s tour to England in 1990, India had lost the first Test at Lord’s thanks to Graham Gooch’s 333 and 123. Manchester Test was saved thanks to an 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a brilliant 119* in the fourth innings.
When things came to the Oval for the third and final Test, India needed to win the Test to draw the series and batted first after winning the toss and went about putting a huge total on the board. At the forefront of this task was Ravi Shastri, who painstakingly batted for 562 minutes and 436 balls to score 187 runs with 23 fours.
He got support from Mohammad Azharuddin (78) and then Kapil Dev (110), as India compiled 606/9d. Shastri played out of his skin to gain an advantage for his team and succeed in giving India the upper hand in the Test.
Shastri’s innings was enough for India to push for a victory, as England was bowled out for 340 and was asked to follow on. However, England managed to draw the match by scoring 477/4d in the second innings with David Gower making 157*.
India, unfortunately, lost the 3-match Test series 1-0.
Watch Ravi Shastri’s brilliant and gutsy century:
KAPIL DEV 110, 1990
Kapil had already stamped his authority in the series thanks to his record consecutive four sixes in four balls off Eddie Hemmings in the Lord’s Test, which enabled India to save the follow-on in the match.
However, India lost the Test match and when the second Test was also drawn, India needed to win the third Test at Oval to draw the series.
India batted first and Ravi Shastri scored a masterful 187 runs. However, India still needed some impetus down the order to push for a big total and Kapil Dev came to the party.
This innings played by Dev was one of his best ones as he scored 110 off 142 balls in 198 minutes with 16 fours. He knew that he himself needed runs on the board, to put the England batsmen under pressure when he came back with the ball.
This was one of Kapil Dev‘s authority centuries when seen in the context of the match and remains one of his finest.
Watch Kapil Dev’s finest knocks against England:
SUNIL GAVASKAR 221, 1979
When India was set that huge target, the team decided to go after the target in what was a shocking decision at that time. Openers Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan ended day four at 76/0 and India required 362 runs on the final day at the rate of one-run/minute.
No one gave India a chance to come even close to the target, let alone win it. By the afternoon drinks session, India were 213 for 0, almost halfway to their target, with Gavaskar playing the more attacking role while Chauhan provided more restrained support. By tea, the score became 304/1 and an Indian win soon became a reality.
India needed 110 runs in the last mandatory 20 overs with nine wickets in the hand. Gavaskar was still there and was scoring freely, as the England bowlers began to tire. Unfortunately, captain Venkataraghavan promoted Kapil to no.4 and he failed, scoring a duck which affected the team’s momentum. Vishwanath came in at no.5 and it was too little too late for the Indian team.
Botham came on with India needing 49 needed from last eight overs and struck in his first over, ending Gavaskar’s vigil of 221 from eight hours and ten minutes and which had come off 443 deliveries. India decided to shut shop and ended at 429/8, 9 runs short of a famous win.
If it has not been for Sunil Gavaskar and his attacking double century, India would have never got anywhere close to the total, let alone almost chasing it down.
Watch the Sunil Gavaskar masterpiece at Oval in 1979 here:
RAHUL DRAVID 217, 2002 & 146*, 2011
Rahul Dravid is the highest run-getter for India at the Oval with over 440 runs. He has played two marvelous innings at the Oval and we have decided to present both of them to you as his best at the ground.
The first innings was a magnificent double hundred- 217 in the 2002 series. India had come into the fourth Test of the four-match series having won at Leeds in the third Test and drawing level in the series. England batted first and thanks to 195 from Michael Vaughan put up 515 on board.
India decided to put up a similar total and was led by Rahul Dravid, who scored 217 off 468 balls in 629 minutes with 28 fours. He was supported by half-centuries from Tendulkar and Ganguly. This enabled India to post 508 runs in the first innings and spend enough time in the Test to draw it and with it, draw the series as well.
Watch Dravid’s wonderful 217 at the Oval in 2002 here:
RAHUL DRAVID 146*, 2011
Now coming to his one of the best innings in perhaps the final years of his career, Rahul Dravid emerged as the sole survivor of the 0-4 drubbing that India got at the hands of England on the disastrous 2011 tour.
In the 4th and final Test at the Oval of the series, England batted first and put up a mammoth 591/6d thanks to Ian Bell’s 235 and Kevin Pietersen’s 175. India needed some spirited batting in their first innings and that spirit came from Rahul Dravid.
Dravid had to open the batting with Sehwag, as Gautam Gambhir missed the Test due to a concussion. But England bowlers Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann uprooted the Indian batsmen out like the weed.
Rahul Dravid stood out as the sole best batsman from his side as rest of the stalwarts was blown away by English bowlers. Dravid carried his bat through the innings with 146* to his name, made in 266 balls in 378 minutes with 20 fours. The next best score was Amit Mishra’s 43.
India folded for 300 and had to follow on and was bowled out for 283 in their second innings, losing the Test by an innings and 8 runs and were whitewashed in the series 0-4.
However, Rahul Dravid was the star from the Indian side in the 2011 series.
Here is the video of that gutsy inning from Rahul Dravid: