4 Aug 2025 : Rain and poor light ended play on Day 4, with England needing only 35 runs in fifth and final Test match against India, in London. Meanwhile, India need four wickets, three if Chris Woakes doesn’t bat as the pacer is injured. The visitors will be extremely disappointed if they lose this match, which will see England seal a 3-1 series victory.
It was been a constant for the visitors to crumble from winning positions in the ongoing series. Shubman Gill and Co. have had the winning momentum in all matches in this series, but at the England have managed to fight back.
It has been similar in the final Test. An all-round batting display saw India set a 374-run target vs the hosts, courtesy of a ton from Yashasvi Jaiswal, gritty half-centuries from Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. But India find themselves in the same position, on the brink of defeat.
Sunil Gavaskar’s brutal verdict
Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Sunil Gavaskar dropped a brutal assesment on India’s performance in the ongoing five-match series.
“Overall, if you add up all the games, it’s a bit like that – one team has won more games, the other more sets,” he said.
“You could say that, but at the end of the day, it’s the result that matters. Unless India win this game and level the series, you have to admit that England are the better team. It doesn’t matter how many sessions you’ve won,” he further added.
Day 4 saw Harry Brook ad Joe Root stage England’s comeback. Brook fell short of a ton, as he ended up skewing a delivery off the toe-end of his bat, and the wicket saw India get back into the game. Meanwhile, Root did get his ton, but then he ended up edging a delivery by Prasidh Krishna and Jacob Bethell was also dismissed while trying to charge at the bowler. The late dismissals has given India a fighting chance, and then the downpour and poor lights made sure that the visiting bowlers will be recharged for Day 5.
Summary:
Sunil Gavaskar stated match wins—not sessions—prove dominance. Unless India wins the final Test to draw the series, England are clearly the superior team.