What happened when India last played a Test against England at the Kennington Oval ?

Hosts England are leading the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1. They had the chance to seal the series in Manchester but Indian batters were in no mood to give up so easily. Gill, KL Rahul, Sundar, and Jadeja produced a masterclass display of Test batting, helping India secure a draw. It all comes down to the fifth and final Test, which is scheduled to be held at Kennington Oval in London from 31st July to 4th August. The last time India played a Test here was the World Test Championship final 2023 against Australia. India lost that Test by 203 runs.

However, the last time India played a Test at Kennington Oval against England, they registered a 157-run win. The Indian batters didn’t make an ideal start in the Test. Half of the side went back to the pavilion for 105. Wickets continued to fall in short intervals, but half-centuries from Shardul Thakur and Virat Kohli propelled them to 191. Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah came out firing on all cylinders in the second innings, with the latter sending both openers back with just six on the board. Root and Malan showed resistance but didn’t stay too long, either.

England lost five for just 62. Ollie Pope (81) and Bairstow (37) helped the team rebuild, while the likes of Moeen Ali (35) and Chris Woakes (50) also offered valuable lower-order runs. From 62 for 5, England managed to reach 290 in their first innings. India endured a deficit of 99 runs and were under pressure, but they didn’t succumb and came roaring back with the bat. Rohit Sharma led the way with the bat, playing a sensational knock of 127. He received great support from KL Rahul (46) and Pujara (61), leading India’s fightback.

After Kohli (44) got out with India’s score of 312 , England hoped to bundle India soon, but Pant (50) and Shardul (60) increased the lead further with another superb partnership. India ended up posting a mammoth score of 466, setting a huge target of 368. In pursuit, England's openers put on a 100-run stand to give their team just the start they needed. However, all the other batters succumbed under pressure, thanks to some superb bowling from India’s attack. From 100-1, England were bowled out for 210, losing the Test match by 157 runs.