Jadeja eclipses Sobers with sixth fifty in England

Ravindra Jadeja carved his name alongside cricketing royalty at The Oval on Saturday, breaking a long-standing record of Sir Garfield Sobers while steering India to a commanding position in the fifth Test against England.

On Day 3 of the fifth Test, Jadeja registered his sixth 50-plus score of the series, surpassing Sobers' five in 1966 to set a new benchmark for the most such scores by an away batter at No. 6 or lower in a series in England. His tally of 516 runs is second only to Sobers' 722, and he also became just the second visiting player after Sobers to record 1,000-plus runs and 30-plus wickets in Tests played in England.

Jadeja's 53 (77 balls, 5 fours) was part of a collective effort that powered India to 374 all out, setting England a daunting target of 374. Yashasvi Jaiswal, continuing his stellar form, struck his second century of the series – a classy 118 off 164 balls with 14 fours and two sixes – while Akash Deep hammered his maiden Test fifty, scoring 66 off 94 balls. Washington Sundar then added late fireworks, smashing 53 off just 46 balls with four sixes and as many fours, sharing a brisk 39-run stand with Prasidh Krishna for the last wicket.

For England, Josh Tongue starred with the ball, bagging 5 for 125. The hosts, who lead the series 2-1, will now need to rewrite history to seal the series as the highest successful chase at The Oval remains England's 263/9 back in 1902.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill finished the series with 754 runs – the second-best tally by an Indian in Test history after Sunil Gavaskar's 774 in 1971. Akash Deep also joined an elite club, becoming only the sixth Indian to notch a fifty and take 10 wickets within his first 10 matches.

With the pitch wearing and a record target in sight, India stand one step away from levelling the series.