The victory of the Indian cricket team at the Oval will not only go down as one of the greatest victories of the Asian giants in Test cricket history but they also broke records by registering a win over England by a narrow margin of just six runs.
After a thrilling series that saw both teams play some great cricket, the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy came to an end it deserved as the fifth Test, like the first four matches, went on till the final day. Chasing a target of 374, England needed 35 runs when play resumed while India were four wickets away.
Mohammed Siraj completed a five-wicket haul in the day’s play, taking three wickets while Prasidh Krishna took four.
India creates history
With the win at the Oval, India became the third team to win a Test match against England in England by a margin of less than 10 runs and the first to achieve the feat in 123 years. The only other two instances of a team beating the English by less than 10 runs away from home before this were in 1882 and 1902.
England’s narrowest home defeats in Test cricket
Team Difference Venue Year
Australia 3 runs Manchester 1902
India 6 runs Oval 2025
Australia 7 runs Oval 1882
Pakistan 24 runs Oval 1954
South Africa 43 runs Lord’s 2023
Overall, England have suffered two more defeats by less than 10 runs in Test cricket, one of which was a one-run loss to New Zealand at Wellington in 2023 and a six-run loss to Australia at Sydney in 1885.
India’s all-time best performance
The win at the Oval was the first instance of India winning a Test match by less than 10 runs. The Shubman Gill-led side broke a 21-year-old record after their win against Australia under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2004. Away from home, the Asian giants had never won a match by less than 31 runs before.
India’s lowest margin Test wins
Opponent Ground Year
England 6 runs Oval 2025
Australia 13 runs Mumbai 2004
England 28 runs Kolkata 1972
Australia 31 runs Adelaide 2014
West Indies 37 runs Port of Spain 2002
With this win, India managed to level the series 2-2. This is the second consecutive time that India have returned from England soil without losing a series, and the 2021-21 series was also drawn by the same margin. Meanwhile, when England toured India in 2024, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side defeated them 4-1.
