End of Harry Brook's entertaining innings and England's first innings with a lead of 23 runs. Mohammed Siraj cut Harry Brook in half to disrupt the stumps. As soon as Brook lost his wicket, England finished their business in the first innings at The Oval, London. 

When the England cricket team was facing a ruthless Indian pace bowling attack, Brook remained firm on the crease and delivered a Test half-century. It was his 13th Test fifty, which came only against 57 balls. The middle-order batter completed his half-century in an over of Mohammed Siraj and departed against the same bowler.

Despite conceding over 5 runs in aggregate, Siraj kept faith in his strategy, maintaining the line on the wicket. The delivery, which Brook also took, was pitch in line. The 26-year-old batter tried to guide the good-length ball on the leg side but got only an inside edge, and the ball landed behind into the stumps. Harry Brook went to the hut for 53 (64), and Siraj jumped in the air with his signature celebration.

Mohammed Siraj bowls Harry Brook and England are all out for 247, leading India by 23 runs! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/FYbcKOR1f0

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2025

Read More: WATCH: KL Rahul defends Prasidh Krishna amid altercation with Joe Root during first innings of ENG vs IND fifth Test

Mohammed Siraj is now leading the wicket-taking tally 

In the first phase of the match, the India pacer got 4 wickets in his 16.2-over spell. With 18 wickets to his name, Mohammed Siraj becomes the leading wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, 2025, an incredible achievement for the pacer. His bowling partner Prasidh Krishna also trapped 4 batters in the process. 

The boys in blue bundled the host for 247 on Day 2, that too without their prime bowler Jasprit Bumrah. India posted 224; batting first, they trailed behind England by only 23 runs.

Harry Brook created a moment of pure magic on Day 2 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, as he swept Mohammed Siraj for a six while falling over, drawing immediate comparisons to the bravery and flamboyance of Rishabh Pant.

With England reeling at 242 for 8 in the 48th over, and with only an 18-run lead, Brook was now the only man standing at one end - it was wickets galore at the other end. Playing with considered aggression, and under no apparent pressure with the field now spread to fend off the runs, Brook picked his moments admirably to counterattack. The highlight came when he shuffled across the stumps and clubbed a glorious full sweep over deep fine leg from Siraj. The ball went into the crowd as Brook toppled over, much like Pant had done famously during his epic innings at Old Trafford in 2022.

The crowd erupted, and even Ben Stokes, watching like the rest of us in the dressing room, looked suitably impressed. Brook's intent was clear: he wanted to retain strike, shield the tail-enders, and increase England's lead. He turned down singles repeatedly, making sure that Josh Tongue faced as few balls as possible.

Watch the video:

The tumbling sweep for six 🫡

Pant or Brook - who does it better? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/b3gNQOXrHP

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 1, 2025

ALSO SEE: South Africa tour of Australia 2025: Schedule, squads, venues & how to watch

Rain Stops Play Just as Brook's Brilliance Puts England Ahead

But just as momentum appeared to be building, the clouds rolled in. A spittle of rain began intensifying, forcing the umpires to call for covers and stop the game. "It might have just been a passing shower," said umpire Kumar Dharmasena, though the message from the ground is that rain should linger for nearly an hour.

Brook had just entered the block the rain, reaching an unbeaten 48 off 49 balls. He played a crucial innings, playing recklessly, but in a circumstance of high stress, with the Test match being tied with the series locked at 2-2. Golinger took one of several brave shots which might have brought England hope of a significant lead, but for now, it is The Oval weather that is front of mind.

With a lengthy play and World Test Championship points and series implications, every run and moment is illuminated. If the rain eases and play resumes (some hope), Brook's breathtaking shot will surely become a turning point.

While the visitors India are under pressure in the do-or-die Manchester Test, the off-spinner Washington Sundar brought some relief by taking two quick wickets, including dismissing Harry Brook cheaply. 

After winning the toss in the Manchester Test, the fourth Test of the five-match Test series (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025), English captain Ben Stokes chose to field first and bowled out India for 358 runs. Although it felt like a challenging first innings total, the English top-order batters proved it was not a strong first innings total. 

After English openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett set a 166-run partnership for the first wicket, England had another 144-run partnership for the third wicket between Ollie Pope and Joe Root. All the top four English batters scored 70+ runs, and it was expected that Harry Brook would also follow those footsteps, who already played the valuable innings this Test series of 99 and 158 runs in the Leeds and Birmingham Tests, respectively.  

[WATCH] Joe Root makes new record during ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

Harry Brook was stumped cleverly by the offie Washington Sundar

Coming to bat at no.5, when England were batting on 341/3, Brook scored only three runs off 12 balls before Washington Sundar stumped him out. It was a nice delivery as the offie dragged the English batter out of the crease and drifted him past the outside edge, as the substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel comfortably stumped Brook. In 25 balls, Sundar produced two wickets for the under-pressure visitors as he dismissed set Ollie Pope (71) and Brook (3).

#Sundar’s got the golden touch today! ✨

Two quick wickets and #HarryBrook is walking back.#ENGvIND 👉 4th TEST, DAY 3 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/l55AM1kN1p pic.twitter.com/rzqEloNjC9

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 25, 2025

India can't afford another defeat

India are currently trailing this Test series by 2-1 with the fourth Test running at Old Trafford in Manchester, where they have never won a Test match. While India can't afford another defeat in this series, they must win the remaining two Tests to win this away series, and can only draw the series by winning a Test and drawing the other. 

On Day 4 of the third Test between India and England at Lord's, on Sunday, July 13, Akash Deep delivered a stunning moment of redemption. The Indian speedster had gone for three consecutive boundaries in his previous deliveries to Harry Brook when he came in to bowl in the 22nd over. The full, attacking delivery had Brook, who was looking to get aggressive again, being away and playing a rash sweep shot, as he completely missed the ball. The ball crashed into stumps behind his legs, dismissing him for 23 runs off 19 balls, leaving England 87/4.

This was an important wicket for India since Brook had looked very aggressive, playing some shots at Akash Deep. He just took 4, 4, and 6 in the previous three deliveries of his last over. Brook's eagerness to get after the bowling got himself out. Akash, who was India's standout performer in the second Test with a 10-wicket match haul, roared back with a crucial wicket to shift the momentum firmly in India’s favor.

India’s bowling attack dominated the morning session. Mohammed Siraj provided early breakthroughs by removing openers Ben Duckett (12) and Ollie Pope (4), while Nitish Kumar Reddy struck to dismiss Zak Crawley (22). With Brook's wicket falling soon after, England were under pressure at 98/4 at Lunch on Day 4, with experienced campaigners Joe Root and Ben Stokes at the crease, trying to rebuild.

First-innings parity sets up tense final days

Earlier in the match, both teams ended with identical scores of 387 in their first innings. Joe Root anchored England’s innings with a composed century (104 off 199), while KL Rahul responded with an equally impressive 100 off 177 for India. The bowlers also played key roles—Jasprit Bumrah bagged his 13th overseas five-wicket haul, and Chris Woakes picked up three wickets for the hosts.

Watch the video here

Relentless and rewarded! 🙌🏻👏🏻#AkashDeep’s disciplined length proves too good for #HarryBrook, as a costly shot sends his middle-stump flying! 🔥#ENGvIND 👉 3rd TEST, DAY 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/vo6bbH9n2o pic.twitter.com/xIL09UHRtR

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 13, 2025

See Also: [WATCH] 'Main College Ke Samne....' – Suryakumar Yadav reveals how he first met wife Devisha Shetty

India entered the third Test high on confidence after crushing England by 336 runs in the second Test, their biggest overseas win by runs. Akash Deep was instrumental in that win, claiming six wickets in one inning. With the third Test evenly poised at Lunch on Day 4, India’s bowlers once again took center stage as they sought to push for a series lead.

The second session was only about the two England batters, Joe Root and Ollie Pope’s grind in the middle. They didn’t try recklessly against both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, as the runs got dried up. But the best thing for them was to lose no wickets, which kept them ahead in the progression of the contest. But that didn’t remain eternally. 

On the very first ball of the third session, Pope looked to guide Ravindra Jadeja into the off side with the spin, but he got a faint edge on the way of the ball as the stand-in wicket-keeper, Dhruv Jurel, in place Rishabh Pant, who left the field with a finger injury that he picked while keeping, grabbed a fine catch.

SEE ALSO: Shubman Gill might be leading ODI side in the SL series- Report

Harry Brook was always going to be a huge concern for the visitors, especially after the batter’s magnificent century in the first innings of the second Edgbaston Test took him to the number one spot in the rankings, replacing Joe Root. Gill realized the importance of the period and brought Bumrah back into the action.

Watch: Jasprit Bumrah cleans up Harry Brook in the third ENG vs IND Lord’s Test

It was the 55th over when the number one bowler and batter faced each other. The first delivery was a good length ball outside the off-stump as the batter ambled forward and negated it with soft hands. On the second delivery, he was happy to block the length ball into the offside. The third ball of the over was a bumper as the Yorkshire batter ducked and let it fly into the hands of the wicket-keeper.

Bumrah’s magic > Brook’s magic

Even Harry couldn’t escape this spell 🤩
#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/oPzFwFdMIt

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 10, 2025

The surface looked dry, and under the sun, it didn’t offer much assistance off the deck. Bumrah went with a diving delivery next up and invited the ball to come on the front foot. Brook accepted and played the stroke with a straight bat to mid-off. But the fifth ball, from the same channel, came back sharply to break through the batter’s defense and break the furniture.

Brook went back to the dressing room for 11 runs in 20 balls while Bumrah, during the publication of the article, had figures of 1/32 in 17 overs. England were in a decent position as their eyes were on another century from the former captain, Joe Root.

Harry Brook Becomes World Number 1 in Test Batting Rankings

England’s middle-order batter Harry Brook has taken the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. He scored a strong 158 runs in the first innings of the second Test against India in Birmingham. This helped him reach 886 rating points, moving 18 points ahead of Joe Root. Brook replaces Root, who had been at the top for six months. Brook was also ranked number one for a week last December.

Shubman Gill Reaches Career-Best 6th Place

The Birmingham Test was really special for India captain Shubman Gill. He became only the second player ever to score more than 150 in both innings of a Test. He made 269 and 161, with a total of 430 runs, which is the second-highest ever in Test history. This performance moved him up 15 places in the rankings to 6th place with 807 rating points. Before this, his best ranking was 14th last year.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Ranked 4th in the World

India’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has also climbed high in the rankings. He is now ranked 4th in the world with 858 rating points. His consistent and attacking batting, especially in the Edgbaston Test against England, has helped him achieve this career-best spot.

Rishabh Pant Ranked Joint 7th in the World

India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is now at joint 7th place in the ICC rankings, sharing the spot with South Africa’s Temba Bavuma. Both have 790 rating points. Pant’s strong innings, especially against England at Headingley, where he reached 801 rating points, have kept him among the world’s top Test batters. 

ALSO READ: Ireland Women name white-ball squads to face Zimbabwe

Top 10 Test Batter Rankings

Wiaan Mulder updated the pages of history books with his stunning 367* run knock. He took only 297 balls to complete his triple ton, maintaining a strike rate of over 100, which was not a usual scenario in a Test match even in the modern era. Despite scoring a triple hundred with a quick pace, the temporary skipper of South Africa was not able to break the record of former India international Virendra Sehwag. In the list of fastest players to score triple tons, Sehwag is still maintaining the top spot of the chart. 

Top 5 players to score the fastest 300 in Tests:

Virendra Sehwag

Back in 2008, when South Africa faced India in Chennai for a Test match, Virendra Sehwag scored the fastest 300 in the history of Test cricket. In 278 balls, the opener set a milestone that is yet to be broken. During this innings, the attacking batsman smashed 42 boundaries and five 6s to bag a 319-run innings before losing his wicket to Makhaya Ntini. The high-scoring match ended in a draw.

Wiaan Mulder

Wiaan Mulder stood tall and delivered the best innings of his career when Temba Bavuma was absent from the away series against Zimbabwe. Mulder needed only 297 balls to accomplish a 300 as a South African batsman, only after the formal international Hashim Amla. Mulder remained unbeaten for 367 off 334 before he decided to declare the innings. During his batting, the batter found the ropes 49 times for boundaries and hoisted the red ball for 4 maximums. 

Read More: Wiaan Mulder slams triple ton, joins Hashim Amla in South Africa’s elite Test records

Harry Brook

During a Test match against England in Multan in 2024, Pakistan faced the wrath of Harry Brook. The middle-order batter registered his 300 playing only 310 runs and remained not out for 317. England won the match by an innings and 47 runs as they got 823/7d on the scoreboard.

Matthew Hayden

One of the most fierce openers in the history of cricket, Matthew Hayden's 380-run innings was a historic mark. The former Australia international took 362 balls to etch his 300. The match was against Zimbabwe in 2003. Australia won the game by an inning and 175 runs. Hayden hammered thirty-eight 4s and eleven 6s during his innings. 

Virendra Sehwag

Virendra Sehwag once again makes an entry in the list. In 2004 against the archrivals Pakistan, the former right-handed opener took the home team in Multan for an adventurous ride. In 364 deliveries, Sehwag delivered another 300 of his career and helped India to grab a victory over Pakistan by an innings and 52 runs. He struck the ball 39 times for 4 and six times for 6. 

Rain has returned to Birmingham on the brink of what has been a remarkable second Test between India and England. The UK Met Office could be fairly accurate so far, and it has described some showers until around 11 AM, before the chance drops off from then on. This has sparked talk about England batter Harry Brook’s cheeky banter with Shubman Gill, where he hinted rain would spoil India’s chances of winning. While Brook might have just been playing mind games, he clearly knew rain was in the forecast.

Despite the showers, it's not all bad news for India. The rain overnight between days four and five has carried into the morning, and BBC Weather has forecast a 90% chance of rain at 9 AM—an hour before play is scheduled to begin. This could be a difficult morning for the Edgbaston ground staff, who will be working under pressure to prepare the field for play. The chances of rain decrease to 65% at 10 AM and fall even further to less than 45% during the rest of the day, reducing overs and increasing pressure for India to bowl out England in the time remaining.

Each over lost will hurt India’s chances of winning and help England inch closer to a draw. But if the forecast holds, the afternoon and evening sessions look promising for cricket, and India could still push for a famous win.

Clearer Weather Expected in the Final Session

The forecast shows only a 20% chance of rain by 2 PM, which means the last four hours of play should go on without much interruption. That gives India a real opportunity to take the remaining seven English wickets and level the series 1–1. With the pitch offering assistance and three wickets already down, India will be hopeful of making the most of the time they get.

See Also: [WATCH]: 'More than technique, it's his ...' - Former India batter praises Shubman Gill's rise after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli

Cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and helpful wind conditions are likely to work in India's favor. They’ll also be eyeing the second new ball, which proved crucial in the first innings. However, they’ll need to wait another 64 overs before it becomes available—a key factor if time becomes a challenge.

England were tired on Day 4 and were made to field all day long when India batted well. Standing tall was skipper Shubman Gill, who continued his dazzling success to join the likes of just one other Indian player who has achieved a double century and a century in the same Test. By the time the stumps were drawn, India had reached 341/4 for a lead of 170 runs. England were preparing for a chase above 500 runs — something that has never occurred in Test cricket. You could tell the frustration for England ( Harry Brook in particular, who was seen clutching at any chance they could catch a break when he started to push for India to declare).

In a funny yet revealing moment that the Star Sports camera caught, of Harry Brook when he was fielding at slip at the same time, went up to Gill to remind him that the Day 5 weather was for rain across the ground in the afternoon. Brook told Gill to declare with a lead of around 450 runs and that the rain would save them. To that, the young England vice-captain suggested he would 'settle' for a draw with how the match was going. For Gill, who was in the game he ignored the banter and remained focused, knowing that every run added tightened the noose around England's throats and gave India a strong advantage of probably levelling the series. 

See Also: ENG vs IND 2025: Is this end of Karun Nair's international career?

Harry Brook: "450 declare?" "Shubman, it's raining tomorrow. Half day. Afternoon, it's raining."

Shubman Gill: "Bad luck for us."

Harry Brook: "Take the draw."

Watch the video here;

Harry Brook: "450 declare?"

"Shubman, it's raining tomorrow. Half day. Afternoon, it's raining."

Shubman Gill: "Bad luck for us."

Harry Brook: "Take the draw."pic.twitter.com/LwW2SssarU

— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) July 5, 2025

England end Day 4 on 72/3 in second innings

Shubman Gill led from the front in the second Test at Edgbaston, scoring a brilliant 161 in the second innings to follow up his first-innings double century. With this rare feat, he became only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar—and just the ninth player in Test history—to register both a hundred and a double hundred in the same match. Gill also became the second visiting captain to achieve this milestone in England, after Graham Gooch. His heroics were backed by solid contributions from Rishabh Pant (65) and Ravindra Jadeja (69).

Their combined efforts helped India post a massive second-innings lead, setting England an improbable 608-run target. England’s chase got off to a disastrous start, losing three wickets within 16 overs. Zak Crawley was out for a duck to Mohammed Siraj, while Ben Duckett and Joe Root fell to Akash Deep's fiery spell. Root's dismissal, bowled by a delivery that hit the top of off-stump, was particularly striking. With the scoreboard reading 72/3, England are under immense pressure to survive India’s dominant bowling and avoid a loss that would level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at 1-1.

ENG vs IND 2nd Test scoreboard:

• IND: 587 and 64/1 (13 overs, second innings)
• ENG: 407
• IND leads by 244 runs.

A rollercoaster day at Edgbaston, Birmingham. From a couple hundred to the showstopper bowling performance by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, every element was in Day 3 of the ongoing 2nd Test between England and India.

England was on top of their game until Jamie Smith and Harry Brook were on the crease. Back-to-back strikes from Siraj and Akash put India in the game and make the battle more balanced. Brook and Smith formed a 303-run partnership of 368 deliveries. Prasidh Krishna was the most expensive for India. Smith found Krishna as the weak link of India's bowling attack and hammered.

Brook returned to the dugout after making 158, while Smith remained not out for an individual 184. After the departure of his long-standing partner, Smith had no option but to witness the remaining part of the team come and go. The duo started to fight back when England lost 5 wickets on 84, and when the partnership broke, it was 387. If Smith got more support from the lower part of the batting lineup, England could've scored more than 407. They lost 5 wickets in 20 runs because of a brilliant spell by Siraj and Deep.

Read More: 'Have to drag this Indian Test team forward like Virat did single-handedly' - Michael Vaughan's stunning statement during ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Siraj clinched England skipper Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir on Day 3, and Akash bagged the wickets of Brook and Chris Wokes. After the stumps of Day 3, India is leading by 244 runs. KL Rahul and Karun Nair will start Day 4 for the team. 

Key factors of the day:

• 300+ runs partnership between Brook and Smith
• Smith's dominating batting 
• Dream spell by Siraj 

ENG vs IND 2nd Test Day 3 scoreboard in brief:

England- 407

India- 64/1 (13 Overs, Second Innings)