KEY POINTS

  • India defeated England by 157 runs in the fourth Test
  • Kohli now has three Test wins in England as India captain
  • The fifth Test is scheduled to begin later this week

Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah broke legendary Kapil Dev's record as India defeated England by 157 runs in the fourth Test Monday.

With the victory at the Oval, India took an unassailable lead of 2-1. The fifth and final Test is scheduled to begin later this week in Manchester.

Following India's victory in the second Test at Lord's, Kohli had gone level with Kapil Dev on the list of most Test wins in England as India captain with two Test victories each on the English soil for both of them. However, the win in the fourth Test meant Kohli surpassed Kapil Dev in the elite record. Kohli, who registered his first Test win as India captain in England in 2018, now holds the record for most Test victories in England among Asian captains.

Kohli also became the second India captain after Kapil Dev to register two Test wins in a series in England. Kapil Dev-led Team India had achieved the feat during their 2-0 series triumph in England in 1986.

Key figure - India captain Virat Kohli
Key figure - India captain Virat Kohli AFP / Glyn KIRK

Bumrah, on the other hand, became the fastest Indian pacer to 100 Test wickets, surpassing Kapil Dev's record. While the former World Cup-winning skipper took 25 Tests to the milestone, Bumrah needed one Test less to a century of wickets in Test cricket. Bumrah bagged the milestone during England's final innings Monday by dismissing tail-ender Oille Pope.

Overall, among all Indian bowlers, Bumrah is the eighth fastest as the record belongs to ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who needed just 18 Tests to claim 100 wickets. Ashwin is also the third-fastest to the milestone among all the Test bowlers across the globe.

The 157-run win at The Oval was special for Team India in so many ways as it was their first win in a Test at the famous venue in London since 1971.

"Tough situations build strong people. Onto the next one," wrote an overjoyed Kohli in a post on social media Monday.

Only three Indian captains have managed to pull off a series win on the English soil in the history of Indian cricket — Wadekar, Kapil Dev and Rahul Dravid. If India managed to win or even draw the upcoming fifth Test, Kohli will join the said elite list.

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