 "England need 324 runs to win, while India need eight wickets. Image: PTI")
As the fifth and final Test between India and England enters a crucial fourth day at The Oval, all eyes are not just on the match but also on the skies. After India set England a daunting target of 374 runs, the weather has become a key talking point. So, the main question is whether rain will spoil the day in London today (August 3).
Will rain play spoilsport in London?
According to AccuWeather, there is a 62 percent chance of rain this afternoon in London, with cloud cover and a possibility of brief showers. The temperature is expected to be 24°C during the day and 16°C at night.
The good news is that no thunderstorms are expected, and only one hour of rain has been predicted. As the day progresses, the chance of rain drops significantly to 7 percent. So the match is likely to see a lot of action without many interruptions.
Where the match stands
India ended Day 3 on a high, bowling out England opener Zak Crawley and leaving the hosts at 50/1 at stumps. England now need 324 more runs to win the series, while India require 8 wickets to level the contest.
Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brilliant 118 , along with Akash Deep’s entertaining 66 and Washington Sundar’s explosive 53, helped India post 396 in their second innings.
Ravindra Jadeja also contributed 53 runs, while Dhruv Jurel made 34 runs. Sundar forged a crucial tenth-wicket partnership of 39 runs along with Prasidh Krishna. It helped India post a huge total.
England will now have to do some chasing to win this game. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett once again provided a solid start with another 50-run partnership. However, Mohammed Siraj struck at the right time, dismissing Crawley right before stumps on Day 3.
India will have to take only 8 wickets to win this match and not nine because England pacer Chris Woakes has been ruled out due to an injury and is likely to miss out on batting as he did in the first innings.