The China Mail - Jaiswal confident India can spoil England bid for series-winning chase

Opener Jaiswal hit a superb 118 on Saturday to leave England needing 374 to stop India salvaging a 2-2 draw in a five-match campaign.

India were dismissed for 396 in their second innings on the third day of the deciding Test.

No side have made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test at the Oval than England's 263 against Australia in 1902.

England were 50-1 at stumps, still requiring a further 324 runs to win, with Ben Duckett 34 not out after Mohammed Siraj bowled Zak Crawley with the last ball of the day.

Jaiswal is convinced India can finish the job.

"Of course we are quite confident," he said. "We just need to focus on our process and keep bowling in the right areas."

Jaiswal added: "We want some fun and some battles in the middle. That is why we enjoy Test cricket.

"If we are bowling on the line it will be amazing. There is always movement in the wicket and it is not easy to bat."

India are in contention for a memorable victory largely thanks to Jaiswal's second hundred of the series following the left-hander's century in the first Test at Headingley.

On a green-tinged pitch that proved tricky for both teams in the first innings, the 23-year-old took the attack to England with 14 fours and two sixes.

- 'It's about how I fight' -

"I expect that in England you play on a wicket like this," said Jaiswal. "Mentally I was ready and knew what shots I would play. I was really enjoying it.

"It's very important. We need to keep pushing ourselves. It was our last innings here. I was trying to put pressure on the bowlers, to think positive and go for my shots.

"I wanted to do more. I wanted to make my innings bigger than that so I could have achieved something else. But it's ok. I was enjoying it.

"It's about how I fight. The mentality is about going out there to fight it out."

However, England can take heart from recent history, with a pair of remarkable run chases to beat India over the last three years.

The most England have made to win any Test in the fourth innings was their 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022, while they also chased down 371 at Headingley in the opening match of this series.

England pace bowler Josh Tongue, who took five wickets in India's second innings, believes his team are more than capable of another epic fourth-innings triumph.

"I don't see why we can't chase down these runs," said Tongue. "How we play as a batting unit is very positive and very exciting. I don't see why we can't give it a go."

L.Johnson--ThChM