Did forced early Oval Test Day 4 stoppage cost India a chance to level series?

India Today

04-08-2025

The stage was set for a thrilling finale to the Oval Test. On the one hand, you had England, who showed their Bazballing ways once again to deflate an Indian team and stand on the cusp of a monumental win. But wait, as we have seen many times during this series, India bounced back and how. The wicket of Jacob Bethell opened the door for India to make a comeback in the contest as they then dismissed the well-set Joe Root. India had their tails up as Mohammed Siraj, who bowled his heart out, rallied the crowd to create an electric atmosphere at the Oval. The Indian pacers were beating the England batters and it seemed like a wicket was imminent. And then, the umpires decided the light wasn't good enough. advertisementEngland took the option not to continue and the players made their way off the field. With the result close, everyone thought it was a small stoppage and players would be back. But then rain came in to force the covers to come on.
After that, the umpires were seen going to the ground and having a chat with the ground staff and others before deciding to call the game off for Sunday. This caused large boos to ring out at the Oval as the fans had to head home and return on Monday for the finale. Interestingly enough, as soon as the play was called off, things started to ease up and the clouds made their way to some sunshine. This didn't sit well with Stuart Broad, who felt the umpires made a lazy call. 'Still 20 mins away from possible start time, everyone has their sunglasses on at the train station. Felt the supporters deserved to see a finish to that Test Match today. Felt a lazy decision to call it off at 6pm in my opinion. I wonder who makes it?' Broad posted on X, voicing frustration on behalf of fans.Nasser Hussain also criticised the decision and said that they could have got another 40 minutes in on the day. 'Everyone in this ground has paid a lot of money and it has stopped raining — get on with the process. Get the super-sopper out there. There are around 40 minutes left, so try as hard as you can to get back out there,' Hussain said on Sky Sports before the official announcement was made.While India bowling coach Morne Morkel took a neutral view on the matter, this early stoppage may have given England the advantage heading into Day 5. The visitors may have lost their chance to secure a win and level the series. England get a breatherIf we are real here for a moment, the last hour of play showed that India were well on top of the contest. There were two new batters at the crease and both of them were struggling to find a rhythm that Brook and Root had during their partnership. advertisementOnce the Indian bowlers got a peek in, they made full use of the chance as Siraj and Prasidh were bowling their hearts out with the crowd behind them. England were a bit rattled with the injured Chris Woakes wearing the whites to be ready in case of a disaster. If another wicket fell, then India could have pressed for the win and got the job done on Sunday. Hence England were given the chance to rest a bit, refocus and come out with attacking intent on their mind. And they will be aided by one piece of equipment as well. The roller advantageWe had written about this earlier, explaining how the heavy roller set to be used will help England. The English captain Ollie Pope will have the choice of which roller to use and Root hinted that the heavy one will make its way to the pitch before the game starts. This will ensure that the cracks will get smoothened and a flat deck will be on offer. The heavy roller was used in the morning on Day 4 and the England batters made merry as India struggled till the evening to take control of things with the ball. advertisementEngland just need 35 runs and probably an hour or so to chase it down. In that case, the flat deck will come to their aid and India may find themselves short. Either way, the early stoppage has put an end to the momentum India gained on Day 4, and it will take time for them to gain it back. Time is something that is not on their hands as the series seem to be slipping away. - EndsTune InMust Watch