With India chasing a massive 463-run target, the last day of the series saw a bit of drama as centuries by Lokesh Rahul and Rishabh Pant gave India a slim hope of clinching, or at least saving, the Test.

Rahul played a fighting knock of 149 runs before a spectacular delivery by England spinner Moeen Ali ended his resistance.

Pant, who scored 114, gave him excellent support from the other end as the duo built up a partnership of 204 runs to frustrate the England bowlers for a long time.

However, their fall bought the hosts back in contest and the English bowlers then made no mistake as they performed the last rites with ease, scalping the remaining three Indian wickets of Ravindra Jadeja (13), Ishant Sharma (5) and Mohammed Shami (0) in quick succession.

For England, James Anderson picked up three wickets for 45 runs while Sam Curran and Adil Rashid bagged two wickets each.

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It was a memorable day for Anderson as the England pacer’s second innings figures of 4/63 saw him go past Australian legend Glenn McGrath to take the fourth spot on the list of all-time highest Test wicket takers.

Anderson, who now has 564 Test wickets to his name, is leading McGrath by one wicket. He is preceded on the list by Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble.

After losing the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s, the visitors managed to win the third Test in Tentbridge. However, they went down in the remaining two contests to complete a miserable series which was totally dominated by the hosts.

India had last won a series on English soil way back in 2007 when the Rahul Dravid-led side had managed a 1-0 win over the hosts in a three-Test affair.

India had started the fifth Test on a promising note as they had reduced England to 181/7 in their first innings on the opening day before the hosts recovered to post a healthy 332.

India had managed to post 292 runs in their first innings before England piled up a mammoth 423/8 to hand India a challenging target.

On Tuesday, the final day of the fifth Test, India started the proceedings at 58/3.

Overnight batsmen Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 106 balls) and Rahul showed tremendous resistance against the English bowlers by taking India past the 100-run mark.

However, just when everything was going India’s way, Moeen Ali struck to send back Rahane as an across the line sweep by the batsman fell into the hands of Keaton Jennings in front of square, which left the visitors at 120/4.

Debutant Hanuma Vihari, who had notched up his maiden half-century in the first innings, fell cheaply after contributing just one run.

A short-pitch delivery by Ben Stokes kissed Vihari’s outside edge before landing in the gloves of Jonny Bairstow, putting India in deep trouble.

Later, incoming batsman Pant along with Rahul prevented the English bowlers from making any further inroads into the Indian camp, after the hosts had jolted them with two quick wickets in the morning session.

It was the duo’s fearless batting which helped India go close to the 300-run mark without losing any further wicket.

A brilliant fightback by Rahul and Pant kept England at bay as India reached 298/5 at tea.

At the break, Rahul was batting on 142, while Pant, who was on 101, gave him excellent support from the other end.

The duo’s sixth wicket partnership of 177 runs not only kept the English bowlers struggling, but also gave India a slim hope of clinching the Test as the visitors now needed 166 runs in the final session, which made the contest interesting.

This was the fifth century of Rahul’s Test career. The opener, who hit 19 boundaries and a six off the 216 balls he has faced so far, was the epitome of patience and grit during India’s second innings.

Pant, meanwhile, slammed his first Test ton after facing 117 balls and slamming 14 fours and three sixes over the course of his knock. In the 74th over, the Delhi batsman slog-swept a Moeen Ali delivery over deep mid-on to become the first-ever Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England.

The scenario, however, changed in the final session when Rashid’s magical delivery came from the leg-stump to dislodge Rahul’s off-stump, breaking the 204-run partnership and leaving India at 325/6.

With the addition of just three runs in the visitor’s scorecard, Rashid struck again, this time to send back the other settled batsman — Pant. The Indian stumper while looking for a quick run handed an easy catch to Ali at the long-off.

Curran then gave two back-to-back blows to India, dismissing Ishant and Jadeja, while Anderson packed Shami back to finally crush the visitors’ 11 long years’ dream of winning a Test series in England.

Brief scores:

England: 332 & 423/8 declared vs India: 292 & 345 (Lokesh Rahul 149, Rishabh Pant 114; James Anderson 3/45).

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Cook made 147 in his final innings before international retirement and captain Joe Root weighed in with 125 as England declared on 423-8.

Anderson then drew level with Australian Glenn McGrath’s pace bowling record of 563 Test wickets as India, chasing an improbable 464 for victory, floundered.

The tourists, who have already lost the series 3-1, ended the day on 58-3, trailing England by 406 runs.

The near-capacity crowd spent much of the day on their feet as Cook and Root with the bat, and then Anderson with the ball, put India under the cosh.

It was a historic day all round for Cook, who surpassed Kumar Sangakkara to become the fifth-highest Test run scorer – and most prolific left-hander – before reaching his 33rd and final Test century.

The former captain shared in a huge partnership with his successor Root, putting on 259 runs for the third wicket.

Cook was given a standing ovation at the start of the day, then again when he reached three figures, before the entire ground stood to applaud as he left the field after batting for the final time.

With India looking mentally exhausted, Anderson made hay in a frenetic evening session, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan and then Cheteshwar Pujara in the space of three balls to move himself within one wicket of passing McGrath outright and becoming the leading fast bowler in Test cricket.

India captain Virat Kohli fell for a golden duck to Stuart Broad as the party atmosphere grew in the sun-soaked stands.

The crowd chanted Cook’s name throughout the final five minutes of the day, and the team applauded the fans as they made their way off the field at the close of play.

It was a day filled with ‘where were you?’ moments – and it has put England within touching distance of an emphatic final-Test victory.

Cook revels in Oval warmth

Cook has not looked fluent at times in this series but, resuming on Monday on 46, he showed flickers of the player who for so long has been the backbone of England’s batting.

There were clips off the hip and cuts against the spinners, as well as a fine straight drive as he moved through the gears.

India lost their lines when bowling to Cook, and their only real chance came when Jasprit Bumrah bowled a sustained spell of short deliveries to try and tempt him into a loose hook.

Cook’s century came up in farcical fashion – on 96, he pushed and ran for a single, but a poor throw from Bumrah went for four overthrows, and took him to 101.

He was embraced by Root and received a second standing ovation of the day – eventually having to ask the crowd for calm so play could resume.

His dismissal was almost a shock, caught behind as he tried to cut Hanuma Vihari, the ball after Root had been caught at deep mid-wicket.

Each member of the India team shook his hand as he departed to yet another standing ovation, lingering on the boundary rope for an extra second to soak in the applause.

Anderson draws level with McGrath

Much as Cook has done with the bat, Anderson has spearheaded England’s bowling both home and away for the past 10 years.

Cook and Root’s partnership, as well as some late hitting from the middle order, kept India in the field for 112.3 overs, and Anderson was able to exploit their scrambled minds when the tourists came out to bat.

Opener Dhawan played around a full delivery and was trapped in front of middle stump before Pujara, who made a century in the last Test, missed an inswinger and was dismissed lbw as well.

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That brought Kohli, who Anderson has not dismissed in this series despite snaring him several times during the last tour, to the crease.

It seemed inevitable that on such a dramatic day India captain Kohli would be the wicket to take Anderson past McGrath’s long-standing record.

However, Stuart Broad interrupted that storyline. He tempted Kohli into a loose shot to the first ball he faced, and the resulting edge was caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to leave India 2-3.

The Oval once again got to their feet as they, and England’s slip cordon, seemed convinced Anderson had trapped KL Rahul lbw, but a review showed the ball was going over the top of the stumps.

Anderson, as much as he strived, could not find the wicket to take him past McGrath’s record and add to his tally of 23 wickets in the series so far, and will instead hope to do so on the final day of the match – and series – on Tuesday.

A tale of two tons

Joe Root had scored just one half-century in the five-Test series before his ton at The Oval

If Cook’s century was a farewell, then Root’s was a welcome return to form ahead of the winter tour to Sri Lanka in November.

Prior to today, Root had not made a half-century for eight innings, and his last century came in August 2017 against West Indies.

He was given two strokes of fortune. Ajinkya Rahane shelled a difficult chance at slip off Ravinda Jadeja with Root in the forties, before Pujara dropped Root on 94.

In-between there were some fine shots, notably when Root skipped down the pitch and struck Jadeja down the ground for six.

His century was celebrated in emphatic fashion, Root running a quick single off Jadeja before letting out a roar of relief.

He and Cook seemed barely troubled by a tiring India attack and it was ultimately a misjudgement from Root, caught as he tried to attack Vihari, that ended a profitable partnership.

Some late hitting heaped further misery on India.

Ben Stokes hit a 36-ball 37, flogging Jadeja for six down the ground before lifting Shami over the slips for four.

Even number nine Adil Rashid chipped in, sweetly cover driving and turning the ball down to third man, before the declaration arrived with England in total control.

England reduced India to 2-3 with the new ball

‘One of the great days of English cricket’

Analysis by former England captain Michael Vaughan

“It has been one of the great days of English cricket. For Alastair Cook to find that rhythm with the bat in hand, after the emotional rollercoaster he must have gone through this week, is remarkable.

“We have watched him for 12 years but that innings was up there with one of his best.

“He had all of his family up on the balcony, and he had a crowd of 18,000 who came out to watch him bat, and he didn’t disappoint.”

Cook scored a first-innings fifty and second-innings century in both his first and final Test match – both against India, in Nagpur in 2006 and at The Oval in 2018

Cook reflects on ‘unbelievable’ day

England’s Alastair Cook, speaking to Test Match Special: “It was an unbelievable way to end. It was strange week but I was just determined not to get out early because it would have been an anti-climax, but to go out like that is the prefect way to end.

“I don’t think there was any doubt I could still play but I certainly found the last 12-18 months harder.

“My greatest skill is to be able to take a lot of emotion out of my batting and to be able to take one ball at a time, and if there has ever been a test of that, it has been this week.

“To perform like that probably just shows my greatest strength.”

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Now Ed Smith and co must wrestle with a slightly different problem – the search for Cook’s replacement following the former England captain’s decision to retire from Test cricket.

They need to hit upon a solution relatively quickly, with England’s squad due to set off for Sri Lanka on the first leg of their winter tour in just a matter of weeks.

So what are the main options as England attempt to fill the undoubted void left by the departure of their record Test run-scorer?

SHUFFLE THE PACK

In some ways, the easiest option might be to promote an existing member of the batting line-up and give him a run of games against Sri Lanka and then Windies after the turn of the year.

Moeen Ali is back in the England fold and delivered with the ball at Southampton – but his second-innings move to No 3 failed to pay off, bringing back memories of an unsuccessful stint as opener against Pakistan a few years ago.

Joe Root, of course, did slightly better as Cook’s opening partner in the Ashes series of 2013. Yet the captain has made it clear he prefers to bat at No 4 and, given his status as England’s best batsman, perhaps he should be afforded his wish.

Moeen Ali made an unsuccessful switch to No 3 in the fourth Test

Which leaves the squad’s two batsman/wicketkeepers. Jos Buttler has performed well lower down the order, while Jonny Bairstow’s elevation to open in white-ball cricket has proved a resounding success.

Bairstow is a player who seems to thrive on extra responsibility – so maybe it’s worth giving him a run as opener in the Test side as well? At least it would help to clear a bit of space in England’s increasingly crowded middle order.

PICK THE BEST PERFORMER IN COUNTY CRICKET

The traditional method of selecting England players – although that notion appears to have been dispelled since Smith took over as national selector earlier this year.

But if scoring runs in the Specsavers County Championship remains any sort of benchmark, surely the claims of Rory Burns cannot be ignored. The Surrey left-hander has amassed 961 runs so far this season at a whopping average of 64.07.

Not only has that performance come in Burns’ first season as Surrey captain, which suggests the burden of leadership is no distraction – he also seems destined to end the campaign by leading his side to their first county title since 2002.

The same argument can be made for James Vince, who is second only to Burns in the scoring charts with 877 runs for Hampshire, and was recalled to the England squad for the fourth Test.

However, question marks were raised about Vince’s technique against the new ball during his first spell in the national side – so asking him to open the batting in Sri Lanka would certainly be a bold step.

SHOW FAITH IN YOUNG GUNS

Almost 13 years ago, England turned to 21-year-old Essex left-hander Cook when they were seeking a replacement for Marcus Trescothick at short notice – and that decision seemed to work out fairly well.

The problem is, there aren’t too many up and coming batsmen knocking hard on the selectors’ door at the moment. Haseeb Hameed was earmarked as the next bright young thing when England toured India two years ago.

But injury curtailed Hameed’s promising start and since then he has hardly been able to buy a sizeable score for Lancashire, averaging a miserable 9.71 in the County Championship this season.

Middlesex’s Nick Gubbins is another promising left-handed opener who enjoyed a stellar year in 2016, but the 24-year-old has been unable to convert starts into significant scores with any regularity since then.

Like Gubbins, most of the other young pretenders are currently playing in Division Two – Sussex’s Phil Salt and Zak Crawley of Kent are two to have caught the eye this season and both would also offer a right-handed option at the top of the order.

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LEFT-FIELD SELECTION

Sometimes thinking outside the box can pay dividends. Think back to Wayne Larkins, for example – he was recalled after almost a decade at the age of 36 and promptly hit the winning runs to clinch what was then an extremely rare England victory in the Caribbean.

Ian Bell might be a Larkins-type selection right now. True, it’s only three years since the last of his 118 Test appearances, but he offers much-needed experience to balance the loss of Cook and has been in good nick for Warwickshire this season.

Another surprising, but not inconceivable, move would be a recall for Mark Stoneman. The Surrey opener was dropped after the first Test of the summer against Pakistan, but always showed plenty of grit for England and was back among the runs last week with a century against Nottinghamshire.

And if the selectors choose to go down a previously untrodden path, they could do worse than to examine the claims of two other county stalwarts.

Kent’s Joe Denly has enjoyed a good season – with ball as well as bat – and has opened previously in his career, while Daryl Mitchell of Worcestershire brings a career total of more than 12,000 first-class runs to the table.

Also Read: Alastair Cook to retire after 5th Test against India

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“After much thought and deliberation over the last few months I have decided to announce my retirement from international cricket at the end of this Test series against India,” Cook was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“Although it is a sad day, I can do so with a big smile on my face knowing I have given everything and there is nothing left in the tank,” The 33-year-old added.

Cook was the leading batsman in two of England’s greatest overseas triumphs in Test history, England’s Ashes win in 2010/11, and their victory in India in 2012/13, according to the statement issued by ICC.

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However, his form has waned in recent times, and despite scoring double hundreds against the West Indies and Australia within the last year, he has averaged less than 35 since giving up the captaincy at the end of 2016, a move many expected to rejuvenate him.

Cook has only passed fifty once this year, and has decided that now is the right time to call it a day.

Cook has totalled 12,254 Test runs and 32 Test centuries so far, his final Test at The Oval will be his 159th consecutive game in the longest format, the longest such streak in all international cricket.

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Chasing 245 runs for victory, India were driven by skipper Virat Kohli (58) and Ajinkya Rahane (51) who showed a fight against the English bowlers.

The duo were involved in a 101-run stand for the fourth wicket and had revived India’s hopes but the hosts’ bowlers came all guns blazing in the evening session to wrap up the visiting side.

The day, however, began the way India expected. Resuming the day at 260/8, England lost Sam Curran (46) and Stuart Broad (0) as the hosts could add only 11 runs in about half-an-hour on Sunday.

Broad was the first to go, as he became seamer Mohammad Shami’s fourth victim of the innings. Trying to slash a wide delivery, he only managed an edge to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

Left-hander Curran hit off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the leg side but his decision to take a double hurt him. Ishant Sharma made a long throw to ensure Curran fall short of the crease as England’s second innings ended at 271. With India having a 27-run first-innings lead, India needed 245 to win the match.

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Scores of 97 and 103 in the third Test against England helped the 29-year-old accumulate 937 rating points, also his personal best so far.

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Earlier, Kohli was at the No.1 spot after gathering 200 runs in the first Test against England. However, he slipped a place after a dismal show in the second Test at Lord’s.

The Indian skipper is followed by Australia’s Steve Smith while New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is third in the charts.

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Meanwhile, after a maiden five-wicket haul — a 5/28 in the first innings followed by an unbeaten 52 in the second innings — all-rounder Hardik Pandya also made big gains in the rankings for all-rounders and bowlers.

Pandya jumped 27 places to be at the 17th spot in the all-rounders rankings, while moving up 23 places to be placed at the 51st spot in the bowlers chart.

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