England batter Harry Brook scored 111 runs off 98 balls but still could not get the job done in the fifth Test at The Oval. He and Joe Root both scored centuries but still the hosts lost the final Test by six runs.
England were in the driver's seat with Root and Brook adding 195-run stand for the fourth wicket. Chasing 374 runs to win, England reached 301 runs when Brook lost his wicket.
England still had over 70 runs to score and his wicket gave India an opening to make a comeback. He was playing well, hitting good shots. However, in an effort to be ultra-aggressive, he lost his shape while trying to hit Akash Deep over covers but mistimed his shot to be caught inside the circle by Mohammed Siraj.
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Watch - Harry Brook Losing His Wicket
Harry Brook’s wicket gave India the opening they were looking for. India then hit back with wickets of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell ( 5 runs off 31 balls) as bad light took the game to the final day. Then, as it turned out, India managed to keep up the pressure on the lower-order and they collapsed, giving India a memorable 6-run win.
Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin blamed Harry Brook for England’s loss at the Oval, saying that he played a reckless shot to get himself out and lost the chance to win the Test match and the series for England.
“When he (Brook) walked into the crease at 100/3, England were not in the match at all and when he took those chances against Akash Deep, England were staring down the barrel and a big defeat was reckoning but when he got out it was the moment that Harry Brook could have cherished. He could have walked outside The Oval with his bat held high alongwith Joe Root who broke records after records and could have won the series 3-1 for England but he played reckless shot and it was his punished of that was why England lost the match and ended up drawing the series,” said Ashwin on his YouTube show Ash ki baat.
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England Disrespected Cricketing Gods - Ashwin
Ashwin further said that Brook and England disrespected the cricketing gods, which is why they ended up losing the game from a potential winning position. Needing 35 runs to win on the final day, ISiraj and co managed to take the last four wickets for just 28 runs, giving India their narrowest win in Test cricket.
“Brook definitely missed that opportunity and it all fell on Root’s shoulders and for India’s good, the conditions also changed, and such things happen when the cricketing gods are disrespected. The way England disrespected the cricketing gods, even the clouds came together, cried on the pitch and allowed the ball to move a lot,” said Ashwin.
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