On the third day of the fifth and final Test of the series between the hosts England and the visitors India at The Oval (London), Indian cricket team put the hard fight but England is still in the strong position.

India began the day on their overnight score 174/6, trailing by 158 runs, and both the overnight unbeaten batsmen Hanuma Vihari and Ravindra Jadeja provided a good partnership for the fight back. It was the 77-run partnership for the seventh wicket where the debutant Vihari completed his half-century and was dismissed on 56 runs off 124 balls (7 fours and only six).

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At next, Jadeja took the major responsibility on his shoulder to carry on that innings with the tail-enders and the lower-order batsmen provided some important partnerships that helped the visitors to reach closer of England’s first innings total (332 runs).

The comeback man Jadeja remained unbeaten on 86 runs off 156 balls with 11 fours and only six as India was bowled out for 292 runs and they finished 40 runs behind from England’s first innings total.

Among the English bowlers, James Anderson (2/54), Ben Stokes (2/56) and Moeen Ali (2/50) bagged two wickets each while Stuart Broad (50/1), Sam Curran (1/49) and Adil Rashid (1/19) picked up one wicket each.

Coming to bat, English opener Keaton Jennings once again failed to play a long innings as he scored only 10 runs before getting bowled by Mohammed Shami. However, the opener Alastair Cook, who is playing his last innings in the international cricket, remained solid till the end of the day.

The no.3 batsman Moeen Ali was dismissed on 20 runs while Cook and the Test skipper Joe Root have put a brilliant unbroken 52-run partnership for the third wicket. Cook is not out on 46 runs while Root remains unbeaten on 29 runs as England was 114/2 at the stumps on day three. England is currently leading by 154 runs.

Till the end of the day, the Indian pacer Mohammed Shami (1/32) and the Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (1/36) have taken one wicket each.

Some important stats of day 3 of The Oval Test between England and India

• Indian debutant batsman Hanuma Vihari scored 56 runs in his debutant Test innings. He becomes the 12th Indian batsman to play the 50 or more runs knock in the debutant Test innings outside the Indian soil.
• Indian no.8 left-handed batsman Ravindra Jadeja remained not out on 86 runs. It is the highest runs knock by a no.6 or lower-order left-handed Indian batsman in a Test innings outside the Asian soil. The previous record was 82 by Suresh Raina against West Indies at Kingston in 2011.
• Indian cricket team has conceded 101 runs as byes in this Test series. It is the first time when Indian cricket team has conceded 100 or more runs as byes in a Test series. Their previous record was 84 runs when India tour in West Indies in 1970/71.