England vs India: Interesting facts to know before Oval Test

England and India head to The Oval today for the fifth and decisive Test of a tightly contested series.

India, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, managed to draw the fourth Test at Old Trafford by batting 143 overs in their second innings. Tensions rose when Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar completed their centuries after England captain Ben Stokes had offered to end the match, adding further intrigue to the decider.

Here, we look at some interesting facts ahead of the contest: 

• At The Oval, in 14 Tests between England and India, the hosts won five times. India won twice, with seven other matches ending in a draw.
• India, however, can take confidence from the fact that they won the last game they played at the venue -- a 157-run victory in 2021.
• Shubman Gill is now equal with Sir Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar for most centuries (4) as a captain in a series.
• Gill, with 722 runs in the series, can also surpass Bradman's record of 812 runs (in 1936-37, against England) in his first series as a Test captain.
• Gill could break Sunil Gavaskar's all-time India record of 774 runs in a series, set against the West Indies in 1971.