Team India's 3 best Test performances at The Oval, London

The clock is ticking towards the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for 2021-23, with Australia and India locking horns at The Oval in London in a few hours from now.

Victory at The Oval will be a fitting culmination of a highly successful cycle that has brought them to the summit clash. A first Test Championship mace is up for grabs for both teams and needless to say, they simply have to turn up at their supreme best in order to outlast the opposition.

India might have endured a mixed bag in terms of results at the venue but they have turned in some historic performances over time. The venue remains a fond one for many reasons, including their first Test win on English shores more than 50 years ago.

Ahead of the marquee WTC final, we look at their three best performances at The Oval in Tests over the years.

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#3 3rd Test in 2007

India escaped defeat in the opening Test of the three-match series in 2007 at Lord's thanks to a combination of rain and MS Dhoni's defiance. A historic win at Trent Bridge saw them enter the decider at The Oval with a 1-0 series lead under their belt and after winning the toss on a flat track, they piled up runs aplenty.

After batting for two whole days, the visitors racked up 664 in an innings fondly remembered for Anil Kumble's maiden international century. England could only manage 345 in reply with Zaheer Khan returning 3/32 off 22 overs, bowling 13 maidens in the process.

Having chosen to not enforce the follow-on, India suffered a top-order collapse before declaring their innings on 180/6 and setting England a target of 500. Kevin Pietersen's masterful 101 and a collective batting effort on either side of him saw the hosts avoid defeat as handshakes followed with the score reading 369/6.

India came very close to winning the game and while they couldn't, they happily pocketed their third Test series win on English soil.

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#2 3rd Test in 1971

India created history in 1971 as they secured not only their first Test win on English soil but also their first-ever series win in England. After the first two matches at Lord's and Old Trafford were drawn, they entered the final match at The Oval with everything to play for.

Batting first, England posted a solid 355 thanks to Alan Knott's brisk 90 and Richard Hutton's 81, with the duo sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 103. Despite collective contributions that included half-centuries from Farokh Engineer and Dilip Sardesai, the tourists conceded a lead of 71 to give the hosts the advantage.

What followed in the second innings though was some Bhagwath Chandrasekhar wizardry. The leg-spinner ripped the hosts' batting lineup to shreds with returns of 6/38 as they folded for a mere 101.

A chase of 173 was not the easiest though, especially with Sunil Gavaskar departing for a duck. Skipper Ajit Wadekar top-scored with 45 before Sardesai and Engineer did their bit again to secure a famous win by four wickets.

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#1 4th Test in 2021

Another iconic victory at The Oval and this time, it came under the aggressive and fiery Virat Kohli. After winning the second Test at Lord's, India were drubbed in Leeds as England leveled the five-match series with two games to go. The Oval Test too seemed to swing the hosts' way after they rolled the visitors over for 191 and took an 99-run first-innings lead.

India were well behind the contest but they mounted a fightback of the highest order. Led by Rohit Sharma's first overseas Test ton, along with half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, and Shardul Thakur, they kept the England bowlers at bay and piled up 466 on the board, leaving the hosts to chase down 368.

Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed may have posted a 100-run opening stand but the runs dried up on the fifth morning on a flat pitch. Jasprit Bumrah took over post Lunch and sent down a spell for the ages, castling Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow with a couple of rippers.

The writing was on the wall once skipper Joe Root fell as India wrapped up a 157-run win to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

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Can India script another famous win at The Oval in the WTC final against Australia? Have your say in the comments section below!

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