4 Indian bowlers who have claimed five-wicket hauls in Test matches at The Oval

Team India will face England at The Oval in London in the fifth and final Test of the series, which starts on Thursday, July 31. The visitors are 1-2 down in the series and need to win The Oval Test to draw level. It could have been all over for India in Manchester itself had their batters not held fort and pulled off a draw.

Looking at India's Test record at The Oval, India have played 15 matches at the venue, winning two and losing six, while seven matches have ended in a draw. India's last Test at The Oval was the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which they ended up losing by 209 runs.

Only four Indian bowlers have claimed a five-wicket haul in Test matches played at The Oval. Ahead of the match on Thursday, we take the look at the four instances of an Indian bowler claiming a Test five-fer at the venue.

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#1 Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (6-38)

Former leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar holds the record for the best innings bowling figures by an Indian in Tests at The Oval. He claimed 6-38 from 18.1 overs in the second innings of the 1971 Test, finishing with eight wickets in the match.

After India responded with 284 to England's first innings score of 335, Chandrasekhar spun a web around the English batters as the hosts were knocked over for 101 in 45.1 overs. The spin legend dismissed Brian Luckhurst, John Edrich and Keith Fletcher before running through the tail.

Chandrasekhar's spell at The Oval in 1971 will forever hold a special in India's Test history. His performance saw India winning their first Test in England and also registering their maiden Test series win in the country.

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#2 Surendranath (5-75)

Former India pacer Surendranath claimed 5-75 from 51.3 overs in the first innings of the 1959 Test at The Oval. After India were bowled out for 140 in 85.3 overs batting first, Surendranath worked hard for his five-wicket haul.

The right-arm pacer dismissed Geoff Pullar, Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter before adding the scalps of Roy Swetman and last man Tommy Greenhough. Surendranath's efforts, however, were in vain as India were bowled out for 194 in their second innings and lost the match by an innings and 27 runs.

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#3 Harbhajan Singh (5-115)

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is among the four Indian bowlers to have claimed a five-wicket haul in Test matches at The Oval. He registered figures of 5-115 from 38.4 overs in the first innings of the 2002 Test.

England elected to bat first in the contest and posted 515 on the board in 155.4 overs. For India, Harbhajan was the team's best bowler as he picked up some crucial wickets. The Turbanator dismissed Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart after both were set. He also claimed the lower order scalps of Alex Tudor, Dominic Cork and Matthew Hoggard.

In a high-scoring Test match, Harbhajan's performance as bowler stood out. After England made 515, India responded with 508 courtesy of Rahul Dravid's 217. Not surprisingly, the Test match ended in a draw.

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#4 Mohammad Nissar (5-120)

Former India pacer Mohammad Nissar played only six Test matches in which he claimed 25 wickets at an average of 28.28, with the aid of three five-fers. The last of his five-wicket hauls came at The Oval in 1936 which, incidentally, was also his last Test match.

Nissar registered figures of 5-120 from 26 overs in the first innings. After England won the toss and elected to bat first, they ended up posting 471-8 declared. Nissar got the big wicket of Wally Hammond, who scored 217 in the match. He also bowled Maurice Leyland and Stan Worthington for 26 and 128 respectively.

The right-arm pacer also dismissed England captain Gubby Allen and Hedley Verity to complete his five-wicket haul. Nissar's heroics with the ball, however, went in vain as England won the contest by nine wickets.