England pacer Josh Tongue expressed confidence that his side can chase down the challenging 374-run target set by India in the final Test at The Oval, despite the tough conditions.

Speaking after a demanding day three, Tongue acknowledged the physical and mental challenges faced by the bowlers on a wicket offering seam movement and bounce. “Obviously, it was going to be a tough task for us bowlers,” he said. “But I thought we stuck at it very well, pretty chilled, not much overthinking.”

Tongue also reflected on his personal performance, admitting he had a rocky start but quickly regained composure. “I feel like sometimes I didn’t bowl as best as I could, especially on the first day here… but I soon forgot about that first over and cracked on.” He emphasized the importance of discipline: “I know when I put the ball in a good area, I got a good chance of getting a wicket.”

Despite England trailing by a significant margin, Tongue was optimistic about their batting lineup. “I got asked the same question at Headingley, so I don’t see why not, we can’t chase down these runs,” he said. “The way we play as a batting unit is obviously very positive and very exciting. I can’t see why we can’t give it a good go.”

India’s batting heroics, particularly from Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a gutsy 118 on a tricky pitch, set the tone for India’s imposing total. Jaiswal’s innings was backed by significant contributions from nightwatchman Akash Deep (66), Washington Sundar (53), and Ravindra Jadeja (53), helping India reach 396 in its second innings.