The fifth England vs India Rothesay Test begins on July 31 at The Oval. With a rich cricketing tradition, The Oval is one of London’s two Test venues and the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since 1850. It became only the fourth ground in the world to host 100 Test matches. On match days, the stadium transforms into a carnival-like atmosphere. Due to a sponsorship deal, it is now officially called the Kia Oval.
Notable Test Cricket Milestones at The Oval:
1872: Hosted the first FA Cup Final.
1873: England’s first official football international against Scotland played here.
1876: Hosted England vs Wales & England vs Scotland Rugby Internationals — first on English soil.
1880: First Test match on English soil — England defeated Australia.
1882: England lost to Australia, and with a mock obituary published in The Sporting Times, the Ashes rivalry was born.
1938: Len Hutton scored 364 — still the highest score by an English Test batsman.
1944: Converted into a transit camp for prisoners of war during WWII.
1948: Don Bradman was dismissed for a duck in his final innings, finishing with a Test average of 99.94.
2005: England regained the Ashes after 18 years in a series regarded among the greatest of all time.
2006: Pakistan forfeited a Test after ball-tampering accusations; the result was later changed to a draw.
2024: The iconic gasometers, standing since 1853, were decommissioned.
Possible Milestones in the Upcoming India vs England Test:
Only 1106 runs are required for completing 1,00,000 runs by the batsmen here.
With two more centuries, England batters will complete 100 Test centuries at The Oval.
England’s Overall Test Record at The Oval:
Played: 106 | Won: 45 | Lost: 24 | Drawn: 37
India’s Historic Connection with The Oval:
Played: 15 | Won: 2 | Lost: 6 | Drawn: 7
India recorded its first-ever Test win in England here in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar, with the famous story of Bella the elephant from Chessington Zoo linked to that historic win.
Story of India's first Test Victory in England At Oval in 1971
The next Indian victory came 40 years later in 2021.
A marble plaque donated by Raj Singh Dungarpur adorns the main pavilion, and ‘The India Room’, inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar and former UK PM John Major in 2005, features portraits of Indian cricket legends and even a photo of Jawaharlal Nehru in cricket gear.
Notable Indian Performances at The Oval:
1979: Sunil Gavaskar scored a majestic 221, narrowly missing a famous win by just 9 runs.
1990: Ravi Shastri made 187 in a total of 606/9 declared.
2007: Anil Kumble scored an unbeaten 110 as India put up 664, their highest total at this venue.
Rahul Dravid: Averaged 110.75 with a double century, a century, and a fifty — the only Indian with two Test hundreds at The Oval.
2023: India played the WTC Final here against Australia.
KL Rahul (149) and Rishabh Pant (114) have scored centuries at this ground.
2014: India were bowled out for just 94 — their lowest total at this venue, resulting in a 244-run loss.
Indians Who Played for Surrey:
Zaheer Khan (2004), Harbhajan Singh (2005, 2007), Anil Kumble (2006), Pragyan Ojha (2011)
Stadium Info:
End Names: Pavilion End, Vauxhall End