Joe Root and Harry Brook both produced fantastic hundreds on Day 4 of the fifth and final Test at The Oval. Both batters brought England close to victory before the game was called off owing to weather.
The hosts resumed the day at 50/1, needing 374 runs to win. They lost two wickets before lunch and were reduced to 106/3. However, Joe Root and Harry Brook then joined forces to stitch together a magnificent 195-run stand, putting them well ahead. Notably, Mohammed Siraj committed a mistake when Brook was batting at 19. He grabbed Brook, but touched the boundary cushions with his foot, resulting in a six.
Once the stand was broken, India took a couple quick wickets. England had gotten closer by then, with only 35 runs separating them when rain finally arrived. There was no further play conceivable, therefore the umpires called it stumps. The hosts finished the day at 339/6. India require four more wickets to win (three if Chris Woakes does not bat).
All eyes on the final day of the final Test 🏟️
England 339/6, need 35 more runs to win#TeamIndia 4⃣ wickets away from victory
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Tc2xpWNayE#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/ib6QgGqBnt
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2025That being stated, here are the three records/milestones set on Day 4.
1. Most 500-plus runs against India in a Test series
Joe Root crossed the 500-run mark in the series with a brilliant knock of 105 on Day 4. He faced 152 balls and hit 12 fours during the innings. With that, Root ended the five-Test series with 537 runs at an average of 67.12. He scored three centuries and one fifty—showing once again why he’s one of the best in the world.
This is the third time Root has scored over 500 runs in a Test series against India, the most by any batter in history. He went past legends like Everton Weekes, Zaheer Abbas, Younis Khan, Garry Sobers, and Ricky Ponting—all of whom had crossed 500 runs twice against India.
Root made 518 runs in the 2014 home series and went even bigger in 2021–22, scoring 737 runs in five matches.
2. Most batters scoring 400-plus runs in a Test series
The hitters have dominated the series, making it difficult for the bowlers. Batters from both teams have turned in strong performances throughout the five games. Notably, nine batsmen from both teams combined for nearly 400 runs, the most in a Test series.
It was an unusually rare batting milestone that featured in this Test series. Nine players hit more than 400 runs in the series-a rare event in any five-game series.
The English also made giant contributions in the form of Jamie Smith (434), Joe Root (537), Harry Brook (481), and Ben Duckett (462). On the Indian team side, Ravindra Jadeva (516), Shubman Gill (754), Rishabh Pant (479), KL Rahul (532) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (411) have crossed 400 runs too.
The only other times something like this happened were during the West Indies–Australia series in 1975–76 and the 1993 Ashes. Back then, eight batters had crossed 400 runs in a single series.
3. Joe Root scored joint-most 50-plus scores in the 4th innings in Tests
Joe Root scored a century on Day 4 of a Test match, becoming the 13th player to do it in the fourth innings. He achieved so in 53 innings, joining an elite group of batters.
Root became the batter with the joint-most 50-plus scores in the fourth innings in a Test. He joined Graeme Smith (41 innings), Chris Gayle (43 innings), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (49 innings) in achieving the feat 13 times each.
Root passed the famous Sunil Gavaskar, who is second on the record with 12 scores over 50, in the fourth innings.
