England and India played out another enthralling day's play in what has been a rollercoaster series that will now go down to the wire at The Oval.
The home side had started Day 4 one wicket down, still needing 324 runs to win and avoid a defeat that would mean India levelled the series at 2-2.
Saturday had been a horrendous one in the field that had seen stand-in captain Ollie Pope's men drop six chances allowing India to set a tough victory target of 374.
But thanks to brilliant centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root, England batted themselves into what looked like a winning position, only for India to hit back with key wickets on Sunday.
The tourists claimed the scalps of Brook, Jacob Bethell and then Root to put themselves back in the driving seat and leave England on 337-6, still with 37 runs to go.
Jamie Smith (two off 17 balls) and Jamie Overton (nought off eight) managed to see off the Indian attack – led by a resurgent Prasidh Krishna – until bad light brought the players off and a sudden rain shower ensured they would not be coming back on.
So the players will be return to action on Day five in south London with England needing 35 runs and India four wickets – but with Chris Woakes apparently ruled out having dislocated his shoulder while fielding on Thursday.
“It is quite fitting for how the rest of the series has gone,” Root said. “It has ebbed and flowed all of the way through and this Test is exactly same. We are in for a cracker for tomorrow. It is a weird one going into the fifth day with the sun out now but it will be a great finish.
“We are in a good position. We have another heavy roller available. Things might happen quicker with new ball. It might be easier to score. A lot of things are in our favour.
“We have so much ability left in the dressing room. Clearly they have had a good passage of play but tomorrow could be a real good opportunity to get across the line.”
When asked if Woakes could bat tomorrow, Root added: “I assume so. He is desperate to do what it takes. There is a lot of things that have to happen before that.”
One of the key moments in the day's play came with England on 137-3 after losing the wickets of Ben Duckett (54) and Pope (27) in the first session. And it will be one that will give Mohammed Siraj nightmares for years to come.
Brook, on 19, hooked a big heave towards fine leg which was snaffled by Siraj, only for the Indian fielder to step over the boundary rope, cost his side a wicket and gift the England batter a further six runs.
It would prove a costly error. Brook would go on to smash a stunning 111 off 98 balls which would help take England to within 73 runs of victory.
His fourth-wicket partnership of 195 runs with Root had put England in a match-winning position and they needed only 57 runs to win after tea. “Me and Brooky have contrasting games which works really well for us,” added Root. That is such an important part of it.
“The way he played, how destructive he was, putting bowlers under pressure can really upset the rhythm of the opposition and swung things massively in our favour.”
With Brook gone, it was down to England's Mr Dependable to take over the reins. Root's century would come off a more sedate 137 balls and was his third ton in the fourth innings of a Test – no England batter has more.
But after surviving a tight lbw call and losing another partner in Bethell – bowled by Krishna – Root's luck deserted him as he wafted at one by the same bowler, edging through to the wicketkeeper.
The second highest run scorer in Test history was out for 105, following his 39th Test ton, with England still needing 37 runs to win. Krishna (3-109) had turned the game back in India's favour.
It left Smith and Overton fresh at the crease and struggling to score a run with the tourists sensing a late twist in a series already full of them.
But much to their disappointment, that twist turned out to be the British weather as first bad light and then rain brought a sudden end to yet another breathless day's action.
