The five-Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is all set to have a grand finish. Which way will The Oval Test swing? Like a good thriller, the answer to that is still wide open after three days of see-saw contest.

So Sunday will serve us with all the answers. Will India manage to defend 374 and level the series 2-2? Or will ‘Bazball’ England show off their flair and flourish and chase down the target?

While it’s still anybody’s game, India do have their nose ahead. England still need 324 runs after going to stumps on 50/1, losing the wicket of Zak Crawley to a brilliant Mohammed Siraj yorker. What might turn out to be a key factor is the fact that England will be a batter short with all-rounder Chris Woakes sitting out with injury. And, of course, the Indian pacers have their tails up.

Earlier in the day, the Indian batting unit, led by centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal, stood up to the challenge. When India resumed their second innings on 75/2, they were still far from a position of safety. But Jaiswal (118) and Akash Deep (66), who did a much better job than a night-watchman is expected to, stretched their third-wicket partnership to 107 that laid the foundation of India’s formidable 396-run total.

Importantly, the super-consistent Ravindra Jadeja (53) came up with yet another vital contribution and stitched a 50-run seventh-wicket stand with keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (34). So did Washington Sundar with his brisk 46-ball 53, stitching an equally important 39-run stand with No.11 Prasidh Krishna. All those contributions propelled India’s lead past 350.

Going back to the Jadeja-Jurel partnership, following Jaiswal’s dismissal, it was crucial in that it extended India’s total to 300-plus. Setting England such a target may
not have been possible for India if the seventh-wicket stand hadn’t lasted long. That England dropped six catches also had its effect.

However, it’s the morning session that was pivotal in setting the game up for India. And, credit has to be given to Akash for the determination with which he batted.

One may not trust Akash’s defence much, but the Bengal pacer can certainly play the shots, which he has shown in domestic cricket too, apart from the huge six off Pat Cummins in Brisbane during the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy. On Saturday, whenever the ball was there in his zone, Akash took no half-measures, but also made sure he wasn’t reckless. It got him his maiden international fifty.

Can Akash bowl as well as he batted? If he does, and so does Siraj and Prasidh, it will be a memorable win for India.