London [UK], August 3 : As England gears up to chase down a daunting target of 374 against India in the final Test at The Oval, young seamer Josh Tongue believes there's no reason why the hosts can't pull off another famous run chase, just like they did at Headingley.
"Pretty chilled, not much overthinking about it. I got asked the same question at Headingley, so I don't see why not, we can't chase down these runs," Tongue said confidently at the post-day press conference.
England had famously chased down 371 in the first Test at Headingley with five wickets to spare and that memory clearly fuels the belief in the English camp once again.
"Yeah, I think how we play as a batting unit is obviously very positive and very exciting and yeah, the batting line up that we've got, I can't see why we can't give it a good go," added the 27-year-old.
At stumps, England reached 50/1, still needing 324 more runs with two full days of play remaining and a strong batting line-up to follow. With the Bazball philosophy embedded deep in their approach, the hosts aren't ruling out another dramatic chase.
For India, it's about patience and consistency, knowing well that one good session could tilt the game in their favour.
In the final session, England managed to put 50/1 on the board, with Ben Duckett unbeaten on 34(48). In pursuit of a 374-run target, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adopted a swift approach but eventually slowed down to ensure England remained unscathed at the end of the day. The duo raised a 50-run partnership, but Mohammed Siraj came to spoil the party.
Crawley anticipated a bouncer but was met by a searing yorker that rattled the timber, ending his stay on the crease on 14(36). The sound of stumps rattling marked the end of the day's play.
Before England began its hunt to gun down their second-highest target, Dhruv Jurel was the first to perish after being pinned in front of the stumps by Jamie Overton on 34(46). Ravindra Jadeja continued to fight and brought up his fifty in style by punching the ball through the point for a four. He brought out his sword to celebrate his valiant half-century.
Jadeja's jubilation was short-lived after he gave away a thick outside edge while slashing the ball off Josh Tongue to Harry Brook, stationed at the second slip. After Jadjea's composed 53(77) met its end, Mohammed Siraj soon joined him in the dressing room after being deemed lbw by the umpire in the same over.
Siraj stood in disbelief as the review showed he had got an inside edge, but he had no option but to return, considering India had burned all its reviews. Realising the gravity of the situation, Washington Sundar upped the ante and produced fireworks with his bat in London.
He dispatched the ball for a towering maximum off Gus Atkinson and then smoked the ball into the stands twice off Tongue in the next over. Sundar continued to torment Atkinson by edging the ball for a four and then topping it up by effortlessly hammering the ball for back-to-back boundaries. He brought up his fifty by smacking the ball over deep mid-wicket and making it disappear in the crowd.
Tongue pulled the curtains down on Sundar's run-fest and completed his five-wicket haul. Sundar tried to clip it, but ballooned the ball in the air. Zak Crawley and Jamie Smith went for it and barely managed to avoid a collision with the former, ensuring the ball remained in his hand. As Sundar walked back with his sizzling 53(46), India packed their bags on 396.