LONDON: Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah sparked a dramatic collapse as India beat England by 157 runs to win the fourth Test at the Oval on Monday and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The tourists bounced back in style following their innings defeat in the third Test at Headingley and cannot now lose the series.
England, set 368 to win, were relatively well-placed at 141-2 after lunch on the last day but Jadeja and Bumrah both struck twice as England lost four wickets for six runs, slumping to 147-6.
There was no way back from there. England lost two more wickets before tea including captain and star batsman Joe Root, bidding for a fourth hundred in successive Tests, who played on to recalled all-rounder Shardul Thakur for 36.
Umesh Yadav, in for the dropped Mohammed Shami, then cleaned up the tail to the delight of India fans among a capacity crowd revelling in the south London sunshine.
Yadav, who took six wickets in the match, ended proceedings when he had James Anderson caught behind off the new ball shortly after tea.
England have little time to regroup before the fifth Test at Old Trafford starts on Friday.
India’s victory came 50 years on from their first Test — and series — win in England at the Oval in 1971.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja, again preferred to star off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, was eventually rewarded for a probing spell on a wearing pitch.
Haseeb Hameed, 43 not out overnight, added just 20 more runs in 108 balls on Monday.
Jadeja pierced his defense with a delivery that pitched just outside leg stump and turned to clip the top of the opener’s off stump.
Ollie Pope, who made 81 in the first innings, was bowled for two by Bumrah giving the fast bowler, gaining significant reverse swing, his 100th Test wicket.
Bumrah then took his second wicket in five deliveries when a brilliant yorker clean bowled Jonny Bairstow for a duck.
Ali was powerless to prevent further collapse, the all-rounder also falling for nought when he deflected a Jadeja delivery that turned and bounced out of the rough straight to short leg.
England had earlier resumed on 77-0, with Rory Burns 31 not out.
History, however, was against the home team as the most they have made to win in the fourth innings of a Test is 362-9, requiring 359, against Australia at Headingley in 2019.
Burns and Hameed had denied India an early breakthrough Sunday after the tourists had piled up 466 in their second innings, with player of the match Rohit Sharma scoring 127 — his first Test century outside of India.
Yadav and Bumrah opened the attack on Monday, with the pair both bowling a significantly fuller length and straighter line than on Sunday.
However, it was all-rounder Thakur — playing in his first Test since suffering a hamstring injury in the drawn series opener in Nottingham — who ended the opening stand.
With just his fourth ball of the innings, and one delivery after Burns had completed a fifty to take England to 100, Thakur’s excellent leg-cutter to the left-hander took the outside edge and was caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Hameed completed a 123-ball fifty — his fourth in five Tests — before he mistimed a needless slog-sweep off Jadeja only for Mohammed Siraj to drop a routine catch at mid-on.
But Dawid Malan, slow to respond to Hameed’s call, was run out for five by substitute fielder Mayank Agarwal’s throw from cover to Pant.
India win fourth Test at the Oval, go 2-1 up in series after sorry England collapse
https://arab.news/bdw9y
India win fourth Test at the Oval, go 2-1 up in series after sorry England collapse
- India’s victory came 50 years on from their first Test — and series — win in England at the Oval in 1971
- England have little time to regroup before the fifth Test at Old Trafford starts on Friday
100 aspiring young golfers in Saudi Arabia set for next phase with ROSHN Rising Stars
- Arab News spoke to Tyler Jacobson, director of corporate communications at ROSHN Group, about the program’s growth and its long-term vision
RIYADH: With LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 in the books, the success of 22-year-old Australian Elvis Smylie — who claimed victory at Riyadh Golf Club last weekend — has certainly inspired more than just the professionals on the leaderboard.
ROSHN Group, title partner of LIV Golf Riyadh 2026, is now looking to build on that momentum by expanding the ROSHN Rising Stars program, an initiative designed to create opportunities for the next generation of young Saudi golfers.
Following months of training and exposure across LIV Golf events in the UK and US, including participation in the Riyadh Pro-Am tournament, the program is set to enter its next phase, expanding to support a total of 100 aspiring golfers across the Kingdom.
Arab News spoke to Tyler Jacobson, director of corporate communications at ROSHN Group, about the program’s growth and its long-term vision.
“The ROSHN Rising Stars are a group of kids who have come together to learn golf,” Jacobson said. “Many of them have never played golf before in their lives, but last summer, when we partnered with LIV Golf as an international pillar partner, we decided to do something bigger and more meaningful.”
The program focuses not only on developing golfing ability, but on personal growth beyond the course.
“We wanted to give young people the opportunity to grow and learn in the sport of golf, as well as learn new skills on and off of the golf course.”
Golf’s footprint in the region has grown in recent years, with millions tuning in for events in the Middle East as kids partake in the sport through initiatives like the ROSHN Fan Village. For ROSHN Group, that growth aligns naturally with its broader quality-of-life objectives.
“We have seen a real appetite and hunger to engage with the sport. Golf teaches you patience, discipline and values that carry far beyond competition,” Jacobson said. “Quality of life and sport go hand-in-hand, and that’s exactly why we’ve partnered with LIV Golf.
“They’re elevating not only their skills, but their aptitude for life, for traveling, for exposure to new things. This is where we believe the program has offered a lot to the children.”
Participants in the program range in age from 8 to 15, with the program offering an unprecedented level of opportunities to youth in Saudi Arabia.
During the course, which lasts six months, they will receive professional coaching and access to elite golfing facilities in Saudi Arabia, in addition to hands-on competitive experiences. The program is set to support a total of 100 aspiring golfers across Saudi Arabia.
Jacobson believes that events such as LIV Golf play a key role in inspiring youth-focused initiatives like ROSHN Rising Stars.
“LIV Golf is a young league, but it’s doing things like creating new formats and exposing new people across the world to the sport of golf,” he said.
“Traditionally, the sport has been more Westernized, so (allowing) Saudi youth to grow at this stage of the game is a huge opportunity,” Jacobson added. “You see it in our projects, in our communities. It aligns completely with Saudi Vision 2030.”
That quality-of-life aspect has been a strong selling point for golf in breaking into new audiences. In a world where sports are increasingly dominated by success, fame and money, golf also provides an opportunity to grow from a human perspective.
“Ultimately, your skills are not what truly matter,” Jacobson said. “What matters is the desire to learn, to commit and to grow. That’s what we value, and that’s what this program is about.”
