Yashasvi Jaiswal, once again, delivered when India needed him the most as the southpaw hit a gritty 118 off 164 balls against England in the second innings at The Oval.

Playing to level the five-match series, the Indian cricket team needed a push to post a fighting total for the hosts to chase in the final Test and Jaiswal’s fighting ton came at the perfect time.

Jaiswal’s knock was a perfect blend of aggression and composure. Resuming on his overnight score of 51, he weathered testing spells from Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton before capitalising on scoring opportunities.

He struck 14 boundaries and two sixes, pacing his innings smartly to reach his sixth Test hundred – and his second of the ENG vs IND 2025 Test series – off just 127 balls.

The left-hander had laid the foundation with a brisk start on Friday, racing to a 44-ball fifty with an uppercut for six.

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On Saturday, he showcased patience, rotating the strike effectively and forging a crucial 107-run partnership for the third wicket with nightwatchman Akash Deep.

By the time Jaiswal departed in the 65th over, the scoreboard read 273/6 with India’s lead extending to 250. India were bowled out for 224 in the first innings before restricting England to 247.

Jaiswal, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, capped off the series with 411 runs at an average of 41.10.

He had started 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.

In just 24 Tests, Jaiswal has piled up 2209 runs, with 1123 of those coming against England. Four of his six centuries, two of them double tons, have also been scored against England, including his career-best of an unbeaten 214.

With this hundred, Jaiswal moved up to second on the list of openers with the most Test centuries by the age of 23.

Only South Africa’s Graeme Smith (7) had more before turning 24. England’s Alastair Cook and Len Hutton, along with Kraigg Brathwaite of the West Indies, each had five.