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Dropped on 19, Harry Brook hurts India with 4th innings century in Oval Test

Dropped on 19, Harry Brook hurts India with 4th innings century in Oval Test

India Today2 days ago
Harry Brook made the most of a fortunate break, smashing his first fourth-innings century on Sunday, 3 August. The World No. 1 Test batter produced a counter-attacking 91-ball hundred to lay the foundation for England's mammoth run chase of 374 against India in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.It was Brook's 10th Test century, coming in just his 50th innings in the format. With it, he surged to second place on the list of batters with the most hundreds in Test cricket since 2022, trailing only Joe Root (15). | Oval Test Day 4 Updates |advertisementBrook was given a crucial reprieve when he was batting on 19. India had a chance to claim three wickets in the opening session after Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna had dismissed opener Zak Crawley and stand-in captain Ollie Pope. England could have been 137 for 4, but Siraj failed to maintain his balance after taking a catch at deep fine leg.
Brook, attempting to pull a bouncer from Prasidh Krishna off the first delivery of the 35th over, mis-hit the shot straight into Siraj's hands. While Siraj held on to the catch, he stepped backwards and touched the boundary rope, gifting Brook a lifeline.Putting the missed opportunity behind him, Brook shifted gears and unleashed a dominant hundred. The reprieve seemed to spark a change in approach, as he immediately took the counter-attacking route—smashing 18 runs in the very over in which Siraj had dropped him—and remained aggressive for the rest of the session.Brook found a reliable partner in World No. 2 Test batter and England's leading run-scorer, Joe Root, as the duo steadily eroded India's chances of securing a series-levelling win.Together, Brook and Root took calculated risks and ensured the Indian bowlers were visibly fatigued by the end of the second session.Eventually, Brook fell for 111 off 90 balls at the stroke of Tea. It was Siraj who took the catch at mid-off when Akash Deep induced a false shot from the centurion.However, Brook appeared to have done enough damage, bringing the required runs to less than 100 after stitching a 195-run partnership with Joe Root for the fourth wicket.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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