Follow UsEngland are chasing 374 to win, which could be the highest successful run chase in a Test at the Oval. Not only that, it could also become the second-highest successful run chase for the England side in Tests, having chased down 378 and 371 against India at Edgbaston and Headingley in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Josh Tongue, who took a five-wicket haul in the Indian second innings on Day 3 of the fifth Test at The Oval, feels that England are not stressed about the chase at all and will not overthink about the target being as high as 374. He even called it a replay of the Headingley Test, which was the first game of the five-match series.
In that game, England chased down 371 to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the five-game Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2024-25.
“It is a replay from Headingley. It will be a great day of cricket and a great day for us if we get the runs,” Tongue, who is now the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series alongside Mohammed Siraj with 19 wickets in just six innings, said on August 2 (Saturday) at stumps on Day 3.
“How we play as a batting unit is very positive and very exciting. The batting we’ve got, I can’t see why we can’t give it a good go. We’re pretty chilled. Not much overthinking about it. I don’t see why we can’t chase down these runs,” he added.
Talking about his own game in the series, where he did not play the third and fourth Tests, Tongue said that it has been full of ups and downs.
"I think there are a lot of ups and downs. I feel like sometimes I didn't bowl as best as I could, especially the first day here. Let's just say I forgot about that first over. But yeah, obviously very chuffed to get the wickets and the main thing is getting the wickets for the team and putting us in good positions to win games of cricket," said the 27-year-old.
It would be interesting to see if England can pull yet another 350-plus chase and become the first team to win four Tests by chasing more than 350-plus totals in the history of the game. West Indies and Australia are currently tied with England as teams to have successfully chased three 350-plus totals in Tests.