Vladimir Putin demanded this for Ukraine peace; Zelenskyy rejected it - Report reveals new details on Alaska summit with Donald Trump

At the Alaska summit with Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded full control of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a condition for ending the three-year war, signaling he would not back down from what he called his core demands to “resolve the root causes” of the conflict, the Financial Times reported.In return, he agreed for halting the frontlines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where his troops control significant territory, and refrain from launching further offensives to seize additional land, the report said citing three people familiar with the talks.Trump later communicated the message to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who is set to visit the States on Monday. Zelenskyy, however, rejected the demand, Reuters reported citing source.Another diplomatic source said the US proposed offering Ukraine a “non-Nato Article 5” security guarantee, a pledge of collective defense-style support without granting Nato membership, which was reportedly discussed and tentatively agreed with Putin.

What now?

While Trump has called for a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire deal, Zelenskyy called for strengthening sanctions on Russia if there was no trilateral meet. He added that all issues concerning Ukraine “must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation”.“In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the US. All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine,” he said.Moreover, as a part of “coalition of the willing”, Britain, France, and Germany will host a video call with Ukraine’s allies on Sunday to coordinate peace efforts, a day before Zelenskyy visits Washington following the US-Russia summit. They also backed the proposed three-way summit between Zelensky, Putin and Trump as the Alaska meet failed to deliver a ceasefire.

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'GST 2.0 game changer, will lead to single tax rate': Government sources; call out Congress 'hypocrisy' for claiming credit | India News

NEW DELHI: The Goods and Services (GST) 2.0 is set to be a “game changer” subsequently leading to a single tax rate, news agency PTI reported citing government sources on Saturday. It further slammed the Congress party’s “hypocrisy” for claiming credit for the reforms saying it “was not even present in the Parliament when landmark GST law was passed in 2017”.Congress leaders have contended that the Centre was only now moving on a reform they had been advocating for years. Citing Rahul Gandhi’s 2018 posts and videos calling for GST changes and a cap at 18%, the party argued that PM Modi’s announcement merely confirmed its long-standing criticism of the existing structure.Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address promised a Diwali gift for the citizens in the form of GST reforms and lower tax burden.“This Diwali, I am going to make it a double Diwali for you… Over the past eight years, we have undertaken a major reform in GST… We are bringing next-generation GST reforms. This will reduce the tax burden across the country,” he said.Following this, the Centre rolled out a draft blueprint for GST 2.0, proposing two primary slabs, 5% for essential items and 18% for most other goods, in an effort to simplify the system and ease compliance for both citizens and businesses. The overhaul plan, set to be reviewed by a group of state finance ministers on Thursday, suggested scrapping the existing 12% and 28% rates, phasing out the compensation cess before the March deadline, and imposing a 40% levy on sin goods.The current GST framework has five main slabs, nil, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, with additional rates of 0.25% and 3% applied to precious metals. At present, roughly 21% of all goods fall under the 5% bracket.

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'Coalition of willing': Big EU huddle ahead of Zelenskyy-Trump meeting; to discuss peace deal

Britain, France and Germany are set to host a video call on Sunday with Ukraine allies in a “coalition of the willing” to discuss steps towards peace in the war-torn nation, the French presidency announced.Led jointly by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the meet comes a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington in the wake of the US-Russia summit.Earlier in the day, Trump revealed he had held late-night discussions with several European leaders, including Nato’s secretary general and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which all sides agreed that the priority must be a lasting peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire.“The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump said.European leaders had voiced concern over Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Putin, contending that Zelensky should have been included in the Alaska summit.However, they backed the proposed three-way summit between Zelensky, Putin and Trump as the Alaska meet failed to deliver a ceasefire. In a joint statement, Macron, Merz, Starmer and von der Leyen vowed to keep up pressure on Moscow through sanctions until peace was secured, stressing that Russia cannot veto Ukraine’s entry into the EU or Nato.“We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,” said the European joint statement.

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'Trump's tariffs on India stupid': US economist Jeffrey Sachs' gets blunt - his key message for New Delhi

US President Donald Trump’s tariff decisions might be doing more harm to the US than good, renowned economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs told ANI.In a sharp attack to Trump admin’s tariff policies, he termed these duties as a pressure tactic on New Delhi and warned of risking years of progress in bilateral relations.In an interview with ANI, Sachs further described Trump’s tariff decisions as “bizarre” and “very self-destructive of US foreign policy interests.”“It’s a shocking level of incompetence. I see incompetence in the US government, I’m never surprised, but I’d say that this reached this level that I have to admit actually surprised me,” he remarked, in response to Trump’s move to impose 25% secondary tariffs on Indian goods.“Putting on the surcharge on India, was stupid as could be from any norm. It serves no purpose.”Trump first announced the 25% tariffs in July, even as hopes of an interim trade deal between India and the US were alive. Days later, he doubled them to 50%, citing India’s continued import of Russian oil.Sachs warned that the tariffs could face serious legal hurdles. “…Tariffs are wrong in that they’re destructive for the US economy. It violates international law. It’s a breakdown of our political system in the United States. We have a constitution. We don’t have one-person rule,” he said, pointing to the powers of the US Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.“There’s actually a lawsuit now in the US Appellate Court, which says that Trump has violated the law by imposing these tariffs. There’s a real possibility that Trump’s entire tariff regime will be deemed, as it should be, unconstitutional,” he told ANI.The economist further stressed that both economically and geopolitically, Trump’s tariff policies are “doomed to fail”.

Jeffrey Sachs on Trump’s Tariffs, PM Modi, Alaska Summit, China, Pakistan, Ukraine & More

Is Trump really after Russian oil, or something else?Sachs did not hold back in his criticism of the US approach under President Trump.“First, President Trump is being delusional. He thinks he can make demands and that others will accede to it,” he said. According to him, the US has exercised dominant power for so long that it now assumes it can “boss around every other part of the world.”Turning to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sachs remarked, “Trump thinks he can dictate the terms of peace.” He went further, adding, “This war came about because the US attempted to ban Nato and overthrew a Ukrainian government in 2014 for that purpose of Nato expansion. It is a long term strategy, a reckless and failed one. It should end, but Trump is not politically smart enough or determined enough or brave enough to end this debacle. So he’s beating up, trying to beat up on India.”He also underlined deeper geopolitical tensions. “There is a third part to it,” he noted, “The real animus of the US lies towards Russia, China, India and Brazil and South Africa.”Why does Trump hate BRICS?“They (tariffs) will not improve the US economy. They will isolate the United States geopolitically. They will strengthen the BRICS and other groups…” he said.Highlighting Trump’s attitude towards BRICS, Sachs said, “Trump hates the BRICS. Why? Because they stand up and say to the US, you don’t run the world. The world is multipolar and we want to cooperate with you, but we don’t want you to run the world. President Lula summarized it best. He said, we don’t want an emperor. This is basically the point. Trump thinks he’s an emperor,” he told ANI.India – take a deep breathOn India’s strategy, Sachs praised the government’s calm response. “India’s right. Take a deep breath. Don’t do anything dramatic. Don’t get too vituperative. I personally would do exactly what Prime Minister Modi’s doing. He’s flying to meet with President Xi Jinping. He’s meeting with President Putin. He’s meeting with President Lula.”He further added, “Those are India’s real partners, by the way. Not only is the BRICS the fast-growing part of the world economy, but it’s also the part of the world that says we don’t want an emperor. We want multi-polarity and we want multilateralism.”India-US BTA talksTalks between India and the US on a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) began in March this year, with both sides aiming to finalise the first stage by October-November 2025. Washington has been pushing for greater access to India’s agriculture and dairy markets, sectors that provide livelihoods to millions.Trump, meanwhile, has pressed ahead with a wider tariff policy. On 2 April 2025, he signed an executive order on reciprocal tariffs, imposing duties ranging from 10 to 50% on various trade partners. Although initially kept in abeyance for 90 days, with a 10% baseline tariff, the deadline was extended to 1 August. India was hit with higher tariffs just ahead of the deadline.Responding to developments, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament earlier this month that the government was closely assessing the impact of US tariffs. He said India “will take all necessary steps to safeguard the national interest.”

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'Set this book on fire': Congress slams NCERT Partition module; BJP hits back | India News

NEW DELHI: Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday traded barbs after NCERT released new special modules on Partition, putting blame on the grand old party.Congress leader Pawan Khera refuted the claims made in the book and accused Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League of “collaborating” for the division between India and Pakistan.“Set this book on fire if it does not mention all this. The truth is that Partition happened because of the collaboration between the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League. If history has the biggest villain, it is the RSS. Future generations will not forgive the role it played in spying, which it continued for 25 years at that time. And in that spying, there was collaboration with Muslims and with Jinnah,” Khera said during a press conference.“Advani ji went to Jinnah’s mausoleum to bow and give thanks. So, when institutions are being interfered with and history is being distorted, are we supposed to sit quietly? Can they erase the pages of history from 1938, 1940, 1942?” he added.Reacting to objections, BJP accused Congress of “running away from history when it is not convenient.”“We have come to know about a special module of NCERT on Partition, but we cannot run away from facts. The fact is, who was at the helm at the time of Partition? They were the Muslim League, Congress led by Nehru, Mountbatten. And who could stop the Partition? Either the Muslim League or Congress. There are statements of Nehru in favour of Partition. At that point of time, the wrong steps that were taken in greed of power and appeasement politics are still making us suffer. Lakhs of people died, crores got displaced, thousands were raped,” party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.“When we remember it, the Congress opposes. They want to run away from history when it is not convenient; otherwise they live in history. The question is, Congress is repeating the historic mistake of appeasement politics and greed of power. They don’t want to face the truth. They should apologise for the way they divided people,” he added.NCERT in its new special modules said that Congress accepted the plans of Partition and “underestimated Jinnah,” while failing to foresee the long-term impact of the division.“The Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan were by no means inevitable. Jinnah demanded it; the Congress accepted it; Mountbatten formalised and implemented it,” an extract from the module reads.“None of the Indian leaders had experience in running national or even provincial administration, the army, police, etc. Hence, they had no idea of the massive problems that would naturally arise. Otherwise, such haste would not have been made,” it added.Recently, references to the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate were dropped from Class VII content. The Class VIII book also described Babur as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror” instead of a romanticised empire builder.The Partition modules are followed by backlash in Assam against another NCERT revision. The newly updated Class VIII history textbook has been criticised for claiming that the Ahoms migrated from Myanmar, a version at odds with historical accounts linking their origins to China.

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IND vs ENG Test: Mohammed Siraj after his match winning spell at The Oval - 'I didn't think...' | Cricket News

India’s Mohammed Siraj reacts after bowls a delivery on day four of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Mohammed Siraj knocking the stumps out was a fitting way for the series to end — a performance of incredible guts and skill from him and India, as they drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.Siraj bowled Gus Atkinson with a sublime yorker, sealing India’s victory and drawing the series. It was a five-wicket haul for Siraj, who played all five Tests.“I was just focusing on bowling in the right areas. I wasn’t too concerned about conceding a boundary,” he told Dinesh Karthik after the match.“I just wanted to bowl in the right areas and pick wickets.”On the first ball of the 35th over, Brook got a huge reprieve on 19 when Siraj — who had just returned to the field after a short break — attempted a catch in the deep off Prasidh Krishna. But in the process of taking it, he stepped on the boundary cushion, converting a potential wicket into a six.“What was he thinking? He wasn’t thinking at all… He didn’t have to move to take the catch — so how costly might that be? Brook is still in and reads the bowlers so well. He bats in a Test match like you’d read a bowler in a T20,” said Ricky Ponting on Sky Sports during the lunch break.Ravi Shastri, former India head coach, felt the dropped catch would fire Siraj up in the second session.“How much fuel does Siraj have left in him?” Shastri wondered.

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What was the most significant moment of the series finale?

“Without him, this series would have been over, done and dusted. He has kept India in the hunt and needs a big afternoon session. That dropped catch of Brook will probably spur him on, and I’m sure he’ll continue to give everything.”Siraj admitted that he thought the game was gone after dropping Harry Brook on Sunday.“Honestly, I didn’t think I had stepped on the boundary cushion after catching it. It was a match-changing moment. Harry Brook went into T20 mode from there and we fell behind in that phase,” Siraj said.Mohammed Siraj was India’s hero as they beat England by just six runs in the fifth Test at The Oval on Monday, ending the series level at 2-2.England, chasing 374, were bowled out for 367, with Siraj taking 5 for 104.After resuming on 339/6, England lost their last four wickets for just 28 runs on the final morning of a thrilling Test series.

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'Should be very cautious': Russia 'attentive' to Trump's nuclear 'rhetoric'; cites NPT

The Kremlin on Monday urged caution after US President Donald Trump said he had deployed two nuclear submarines “closer to Russia” in response to comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. “Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation. And we believe that everyone should be very, very cautious with nuclear rhetoric,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

What is Nuclear non-proliferation?

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a key international agreement aimed at halting the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy, and advancing disarmament. Opened for signature in 1968 and entering into force in 1970, the Treaty was extended indefinitely in 1995 and now has 191 signatories — the most of any arms control accord.Under the NPT, nuclear-weapon states commit not to assist others in acquiring nuclear weapons, while non-nuclear states agree not to pursue them. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), though not a party to the Treaty, plays a crucial verification role through inspections and safeguards to prevent the diversion of nuclear material for military use.

An escalating war of words

Trump announced the deployment on Friday, citing Medvedev’s “highly provocative statements” and saying he had ordered the submarines to “appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.” He told reporters the subs were “in the region, where they have to be,” though he did not specify whether they were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.The latest exchange between Trump and Medvedev began after Trump warned the Russian leader online to “watch his words,” prompting a sharp reply. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Trump’s ultimatums were a “step towards war… not with Ukraine, but with his own country.”Speaking to Newsmax, Trump said Medvedev “was talking about nuclear,” and added, “when you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared… and we’re totally prepared.” Trump described the sub deployment as a “precaution” and insisted, “we’re going to protect our people.”The move comes as Trump threatens new sanctions on Russia unless it takes steps toward ending the Ukraine war within days. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to visit Moscow mid-week for ceasefire talks. Asked what could avert the sanctions, Trump replied, “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.”Trump has warned that further measures could include “secondary tariffs” on countries like China and India that continue to trade with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, reiterated on Friday that his conditions for peace remain unchanged and again called on Ukraine to abandon NATO ambitions and concede territories Moscow claims to have annexed.

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Tejashwi's dual voter ID row: Lawyer files complaint against RJD leader; move after EC asked him to hand over EPIC card | India News

NEW DELHI: A police complaint was filed against RJD leader Tejashwi yadav on Monday over his two EPICs matter. The complaint was filed by an advocate, Rajiv Ranjan, in Patna’s Digha Police Station.No case has been registered yet.This comes after the Election Commission of India issued a notice to Yadav after it was found that he allegedly had two different EPIC numbers.“Upon verification, it was found that your name is recorded at serial number 416 of polling station no. 124 (located in the library building of Bihar Engineering University), and the EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number is RAB0456228,” ECI said.“However, as per your statement in the press conference, you referred to your EPIC number as RAB2916120. A preliminary investigation revealed that EPIC number RAB2916120 does not officially exist,” it added.Earlier, Yadav had alleged that his EPIC number was changed and his name was missing from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls. However, the Election Commission rejected the claim, stating that he had used the same EPIC number (RAB0456228) in his 2020 nomination affidavit and that his name appears in the draft list at serial number 416.

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Cockroaches found in ultra-long-haul San Francisco-Mumbai Air India flight; airline apologises | Mumbai News

NEW DELHI: Indian water has “apologised” for the presence of cockroaches on Saturday’s San Francisco-Mumbai ultra-long-haul flight, due to which some passengers had to change their seats. The flight makes a technical halt in Kolkata, where the aircraft was cleaned before proceeding to its destination, where it landed early on Monday.The airline has said it will conduct a “comprehensive investigation to determine the source and cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence.” “On flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata, two passengers were unfortunately bothered by the presence of a few small cockroaches on board. Our cabin crew, therefore, relocated the two passengers to other seats in the same cabin, where they were comfortable thereafter,” an Air India spokesperson said. “During the flight’s scheduled fuel stop in Kolkata, our ground crew promptly conducted a deep cleaning process to address the issue. The same aircraft subsequently departed on time for Mumbai. Despite our regular fumigation efforts, insects can sometimes enter an aircraft during ground operations,” an Air India spokesperson added further.“Air India will be undertaking a comprehensive investigation to determine the source and cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passengers,” the spokesperson said.

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IND vs ENG Test: 'He reminded me of Rishabh Pant' - Ex-India cricketer makes a massive comparison | Cricket News

England’s Harry Brook loose his bat while playing a shot on day four of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Former India cricketer Ajay Jaadaja has showered praise on England’s Harry Brook and compared the swashbuckling batter to India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh pant.England were faltering at 106 for 3 following the loss of stand-in captain Ollie Popebut the Yorkshire pair of Brook (111) and Root (105) turned the tide with a fourth-wicket stand of 195.“Such players might not score runs every time, but when they do, they leave a massive impact. He reminded me of Rishabh Pant today. There was one thing common between him and Rishabh Pant — both are impactful, and their bats go flying. Their styles are similar, so their mistakes and impact will also look similar,” Jadeja said on Sony Sports.

Poll

Who do you think has a more impactful batting style?

Brook made an immediate impact when he came out to bat on Sunday, at one stage hitting 27 runs in the space of eight balls.The talented 26-year-old charged down the pitch to loft Akash Deep for an extraordinary six over cover, despite heavy cloud cover in London favouring India’s quicks.He almost holed out to fine leg off Prasidh Krishna, but Mohammed Siraj was unable to stop himself from stepping onto the boundary rope, which meant a six for Brook.Brook completed a 91-ball century, including 12 fours and two sixes — his second of the series — but his innings ended in appropriately spectacular fashion.“Brook remains the same. He doesn’t change his game. Washington Sundar left him standing halfway down the pitch in the last match. This is the thing with these players. They might not be as consistent as Joe Root every day, but a team needs them too. In difficult circumstances, only mavericks come in handy,” Jadeja said.Going for another big hit off Deep, Brook’s bat flew out of his hands. As the blade soared towards square leg, the ball looped to mid-off, where Siraj held the catch.

Joe Root press conference : On Mohammed Siraj fake anger, why he punched his bat, update on Woakes

“At the start, he dominated and put the pressure that was on them back on the bowlers. Then, as soon as the atmosphere cooled slightly and they gained control, he kept playing in his own style, and his partnership with Joe Root left England on the threshold,” he said.“The pressure they faced in the last half an hour — if they had to play for half an hour like that when 250 runs were required — the bowlers would always have hope. He broke the bowlers’ hopes in that half an hour, and then we kept waiting for the next two hours, wondering what would happen next,” Jadeja added.

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Broken, but not beaten! Chris Woakes could bat with one arm against India on Day 5 – just like Saleem Malik in Faisalabad '86 | Cricket News

Chris Woakes could bat with one arm against India

In a gritty twist to the final day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, injured England all-rounder Chris Woakes has made himself available to bat if required, despite a painful shoulder injury that had initially ruled him out of the remainder of the match.Woakes, who suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder while fielding on Day 1, is willing to step in at No.11 if England need him to chase the remaining 35 runs and clinch the series 3-1 over India on Monday.“He’s all-in, like the rest of us,” said Joe Root, who earlier scored his 39th Test hundred. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“It’s been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here at one point, and he’s ready if needed. He’s desperate to do what it takes.”Root added, “Clearly, he’s in a huge amount of pain having done what he’s done… it just shows the character and the person that he’s willing to put his body on the line like that for England.”

Poll

Should Chris Woakes bat with his shoulder injury?

The situation recalls the legendary moment from the 1986 Faisalabad Test, when Pakistan’s Saleem Malik came out to bat with a broken arm.During the 1986 Faisalabad Test between Pakistan and the West Indies, Saleem Malik showed remarkable courage after being struck by a fierce delivery from Malcolm Marshall that broke his left arm. Refusing to give up, Malik returned to the crease wearing a cast, first batting left-handed and later switching to right-handed. His gritty stand helped Wasim Akram forge a crucial last-wicket partnership, playing a key role in one of Pakistan’s most memorable Test victories.That courageous act remains one of cricket’s most heroic injury-defying moments.Whether England will need Woakes today remains to be seen, but just his readiness has already added another dramatic layer to a hard-fought series. As Root summed it up: “Hopefully he doesn’t have to, but if it does come to that, get us across the line and win us an incredible series.”

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IND vs ENG: Oval thriller goes to the wire! India hang by a thread as fifth Test heads into dramatic final day | Cricket News

India’s Prasidh Krishna, center, celebrates the dismissal of England’s Joe Root, right, on day four of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

London: The centre square at the Oval wore a deserted look till 30 minutes before start of play on the fourth morning. Unlike the other days of this final Test of the series, there weren’t players queuing up to go through their warmup drills. Yet, you could cut the tension all around with a knife. India were conserving their three strike bowlers — Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep, while England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root took a few throwdowns and retired to the dressing room.These characters played lead roles in turning the arena into a bullring, throwing gruesome punches at each other before rain and bad light 75 minutes into the last session, took the series into its final dramatic fifth day. India will come back on Monday morning, four wickets away, with 34 runs in the bank, from finishing the series at 2-2. Brook batted like a man on steroids to score 111 off 98 while Root played the monk who had the entire field under his control as he hit 105 off 152 after they got together an hour into the first session with England, in pursuit of 374 on a tricky pitch, looking nervy at 106/3.

Greenstone Lobo predicts result of India vs England fifth Test | What’s in the stars?

In 35 overs of imperious shot-making, they turned the Oval into a gladiatorial arena as England hurtled towards finishing the series just like they had started it — sauntering past a 370-plus target.But then Siraj and Krishna were not there to agree to a surrender with figures of 3/109 and 2/95. Siraj, like Ben Stokes did in the third Test at Lord’s, dug deep into his energy reserves and kept asking questions of Root’s defence. That resulted in Krishna finding Root’s outside edge to Dhruv Jurel to light up the match again under the dark grey London skies after Brook’s hoick off Akash Deep applied the brakes on England’s charge.In a spell of unchanged bowling after tea, Siraj and Krishna ensured India were still breathing following the damaging blows inflicted by Brook and Root. India will hope the duo has enough left in the tank to turn up one final time on Monday morning and prevent a 1-3 scoreline with Jamie Overton and Jamie Smith at the crease. After all, they were taking on two Yorkshiremen who were bullish about affirming that their ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket works. Root and Brook were advertising for the England team’s ‘we-will-chase-down-anything’ philosophy.Siraj and Prasidh Krishna had Ben Duckett and stand-in captain Ollie Pope under their spell in the first hour of the day. They were all over England with the pitch offering exaggerated movement and some uneven bounce. Duckett edging Krishna to second slip and Pope falling to Siraj LBW seemed a matter of time. Brook wasn’t having any of it; he turned up a bully.

Poll

Who do you think will win the final Test match?

There are moments that define the course of a big game. Siraj stepping on to the long-leg boundary when Brook, batting on 19, had topedged a short ball from Krishna was clearly one. It was reminiscent of Trent Boult stepping onto the rope after catching Ben Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final. Monday morning will tell if India end up on the wrong side like New Zealand in 2019.It is true that Siraj was in a great rhythm deep into the morning session. He was still bowling at the peak of his powers even as it was his ninth innings of bowling extensive spells in the last two months. He was also fast exhausting his energy levels. He labored along with all his heart and passion. But his day out also highlighted that India were desperately short of another wicket-taking option. Akash Deep lacked the zip and Krishna battled hard to stay consistent with his line and length once Brook went on the rampage.India started and finished strong on Sunday. They will hope that the day’s afternoon session doesn’t cost them the series on Monday.

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