During the third day of the fifth Test between England and India at the Kia Oval in London, an interesting incident occurred involving Ravindra Jadeja and a spectator. While batting, Jadeja noticed a fan in the stands wearing a bright red t-shirt, which he found distracting. He brought this to the attention of on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Dharmasena informed the ground staff, requesting the fan be reseated, ideally to Jadeja’s right. However, instead of moving, the fan agreed to change his shirt. A ground staff member provided a grey t-shirt, which the fan then wore. Jadeja responded with a thumbs-up, resolving the issue in a sportsmanlike manner.
India’s play was strong, solidifying their position in the match. England faced a considerable challenge at the end of Day 3, with a score of 374. India lost only one wicket in the morning session, that of Akash Deep, who scored a quick 66 off 94 balls. His 107-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal set a positive tone for the innings.
Jaiswal, bouncing back from a less successful first innings, played a controlled and significant innings, scoring 118 off 164 balls. Jadeja also contributed with a crucial half-century, adding to his strong performance in the series. Washington Sundar provided a late boost to the innings with a dynamic cameo, hammering three sixes in five balls, putting England’s bowlers under pressure.
England had a promising start, with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley contributing 50 runs. However, a yorker from Mohammed Siraj dismissed Crawley for 14. England finished the day needing 324 more runs, with nine wickets remaining.