It wasn’t the flashiest of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s six Test hundreds but in terms of grit, context and battling tough conditions, the 23-year-old’s century in the second innings against England at The Oval may very well be his most significant one yet.

On a pitch offering seam, bounce and very little margin for error, and with the series on the line, the southpaw produced a pressure-soaked 118 to hand India a commanding position in the fifth and final ENG vs IND 2025 Test at The Oval.

“The wicket was a little spicy. I was enjoying batting. I was enjoying it a lot,” Jaiswal said after his knock. “I expect that in England, when you play, you play on a wicket like this. Mentally, I was ready and I was just enjoying.”

The innings helped India set England a daunting target of 374 – a number that looked far from reach when India trailed by 23 in the first innings.

Resuming on 51 overnight, Jaiswal survived a probing first session against Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson before slowly asserting control.

The Rajasthan Royals opener showed maturity beyond his years - leaving the ball well, rotating the strike and punishing anything loose. His 164-ball knock featured 14 boundaries, two sixes and a lot of heart.

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“It’s all about how I fight. Always, the mentality is to go out there and fight it out and enjoy. Because in the end, (and) as I tell myself that it’s the game and we need to enjoy the game. That is very important. With that, we should have fun,” Jaiswal noted.

“I am proud of myself and all my teammates. We want fun. We want some battle in the middle. That is the fun. That’s why you play Test cricket.”

The crucial knock at The Oval was Jaiswal’s second century of the series in England, which he finished with 411 runs in five matches at an average of 41.10. However, the southpaw revealed that he expected more from himself.

“I think I wanted to do more. I wanted to make my innings bigger than that. So, I could have achieved something else. But it’s okay,” Jaiswal said. “I was trying very hard for that and I was enjoying it. Whenever I go out there, I think, as long as I can bat, I enjoy batting as well.”

Jaiswal also revealed that former India captain Rohit Sharma, who has been in the stands for The Oval Test, provided words of encouragement during his innings.

Jaiswal had started the series with a century in the opening Test – becoming only the fifth Indian to score a hundred in his first innings in England – and narrowly missed another in the second Test with 87.

His half-century at Old Trafford in the fourth Test made him the first Indian in 51 years to reach the milestone at the venue.

Now 24 Tests old, Jaiswal already has 2209 runs to his name, 1123 of which have come against England. Four of his six hundreds - two of them double tons - have come against the same opponents, including a career-best unbeaten 214.

Looking ahead to what could be a defining fourth innings, Jaiswal struck a note of quiet confidence.

“If we can bowl the channel line, it would be good. Batting won’t be easy here. We are confident of defending the target,” he said.

Chasing 374, England were at 50/1 at the end of Day 3.