LONDON :India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and nightwatchman Akash Deep shared a stubborn century partnership to frustrate a toothless England attack on the third day of the fifth test at The Oval on Saturday.
The touring side, needing victory to draw the series 2-2, had moved on to 189-3 at lunch under murky skies, a good lead of 166 runs with England’s callow seamers looking bereft of ideas and inspiration.
Deep fell for 66 just before the interval to end a stand of 107 with Jaiswal who was unbeaten on 85 alongside his captain Shubman Gill on 11.
Missing the experience of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes due to injury, England’s pace bowlers struggled to extract much movement off the pitch.
Deep, on 21, was spilled by Zak Crawley in the slips off Josh Tongue, England’s fourth dropped catch of the innings, and stand-in captain Olly Pope looked bereft of ideas.
Under the floodlights, Deep reached his first test fifty off 70 balls by whipping Gus Atkinson neatly through square leg for his ninth boundary before gleefully pumping his fists in celebration.
Jamie Overton finally removed Deep with a ball that lifted sharply and looped up to cover where Atkinson ran in quickly to take a low catch, but even that did little to cheer a subdued home crowd.
