Top three things that went wrong for England in fifth Test?

A fiercely contested Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series ended in a 2-2 stalemate as England were forced to share the trophy with India. Though the series did not see a winner, the visiting Indian team will certainly see this as a moral victory. England, on the other hand, would be gutted to see the series slip away in such a manner.

The fifth Test at the Oval ended in utter heartbreak for England. Despite individual brilliance from Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Gus Atkinson throughout the course of the series, England fell short in the deciding Test as Mohammed Siraj pulled off a miraculous performance to snatch victory from the hosts.

Even after having India by the scruff of their neck for the most part, England committed some costly blunders in key passages of the game, which eventually denied them a guaranteed victory in the final Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy test. Let's unravel the top three mistakes that resulted in the undoing of England in perhaps one of the most thrilling Test matches of all time.

See also: 'You asked...'- Mohammed Siraj reacts to Dale Steyn's prophecy of ENG vs IND 5th Test

Reckless shot selection in the first innings

England's counter-attacking style of batting, famously dubbed "Bazball," has revolutionized their batting strength in the longest format. Not only does it bring endless entertainment to the viewers, but it also does wonders for the English team and helps them escape tricky situations. But in the fifth test, their uncalled aggression with the bat did not go down so well as England failed to achieve a significant first innings lead.  During the 11th over, England were flying high as Crawley and Duckett gave England an explosive start. On a juicy seam-friendly wicket, the duo smashed an electrifying 92 to rattle the visitors.

Although the latter was eventually dismissed, England still had a solid grip on the game, leading into lunch. But out of nowhere, the incoming English batters tried to flick the switch, even after getting such a rapid start. As a result, they ran into the risk of playing high-risk shots, and eventually played into the hands of the Indian quicks. Prasidh and Siraj were able to get enough assistance off the surface to trouble the English batters. The rest of the English batting unit failed to respect the conditions, and in an effort to counter-attack the Indian pacers, they kept losing wickets at key intervals, which significantly hampered their ability to achieve a match-defining first-innings lead.

Poor catching in the second innings

There is an age-old saying in cricket that says "Catches win matches". England certainly missed a trick by not holding on to their catches well. Throughout the series, England's fielding standards had been ordinary. But it's their catching woes that came back to haunt them big time in the final Test. It all took a turn for the worse during India's second innings in the fifth test.  If numbers are to be believed, England dropped more than 10 catches in the final Test; at least six of them were from India's second innings.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was given a life twice, which allowed him to cruise to a sensational Test century. India's nightwatchman, Akash Deep, who was not meant to hang around for too long, was also given a life by the slip fielders. Deep was given a lucky reprieve, just after a closely challenged DRS, and as fate would have it, England allowed him to register his maiden fifty in Test cricket. Their struggles continued further as Nair was also put down in the slips.

But unlike others, the Karnataka-born batter could not fail to cash in further. These costly drops resulted in India eking out precious runs. England's poor fielding was perhaps the most decisive factor for their defeat in the final Test. If those catches had not been dropped by Crawley in the slips, India's first innings lead wouldn't have grown to such an exponential figure, and the target could have been chased down without major hiccups.

Overhead conditions playing to India's advantage on day four

Just when it appeared the doors were shutting down on India, the weather gods came to their rescue at the Kia Oval. Thanks to the gloomy overhead conditions, the Indian quicks were able to stage a last-ditch effort to salvage the series. Brook and Root's robust 195-run stand had nearly sealed the game for England, but they were still a few runs away from victory. Brook gave his wicket away against the run of play, just before the tea break, but with an in-form Root and Bethell at the crease, the foundation was set.

Like always, the case in England, the weather played its part. On day four, England went into the tea break with six wickets in hand. The hosts needed only 70-odd runs to clinch the series 3-1. The second new ball was still 15 overs or so away, and England seemed to be closing in pretty fast. India, who were in dire need of a miracle, were graced by the timely arrival of scattered rain during the break. Although it was just a minor sprinkle in the air, it certainly made conditions conducive for the Indian quicks. And by the time the players took the field, the skies above had already turned grey. All of a sudden, the old ball started nipping all around the place.

Bethell and Root struggled to rotate the strike and were totally thrown off guard by the moving ball. Prasidh made the most of these conditions, sending Bethell and Root back in the hut in no time to get India back in the contest. Although day four came to an abrupt ending due to bad light, followed by rain, the wheels were already set in motion as India had already gained the much-needed momentum to outclass England on the final day of the Test series.