India clinch narrowest Test win by runs: where does it rank all-time?
India edged past England by six runs at The Oval, sealing their narrowest-ever Test win and leveling the series 2-2 in a historic thriller.
New Delhi: India's bowling unit delivered a performance for the ages on the fifth and final day of the Oval Test in London. England were chasing a total of 374 but fell short by six runs as India registered the slimmest win by margin, levelling up the five-match series 2-2 at the end.
England entered the final day with four wickets in hand and 35 runs to win. The Lions held the edge before the start of play, but the gladiator in Siraj made life hell for the opposition batters from ball one.
He took charge in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah as he showed the spark from the very first delivery. The concept of unachievable doesn't exist in Siraj's dictionary, something he proved as he took two wickets in his first two overs.
Siraj didn't stop there. He then dismissed the last man standing between India’s victory, Gus Atkinson, who got the figures to single digits. But the Indian pacer believed in himself and finally delivered the final nail in the coffin. He finished off the series in style with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siuuu’ celebration and not just that, he got overall 23 wickets equalling with Jasprit Bumrah as an Indian bowler with most wickets in a Test series in England.
The six-run win that India scored at the Oval was India’s smallest in terms of runs in Test cricket, surpassing the 13-run victory that they had achieved against Australia at Mumbai in 2004.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue made a total of 3,809 runs in this series, which is the most ever scored by a team in a five-match Test series. For England, this marked their joint third-lowest defeat in Tests.
Lowest win margins by runs for India in Tests
2025- The Oval- India beat England by 6 runs
2004- Wankhede- India beat Australia by 13 runs
1972- Eden Gardens- India beat England by 28 runs
2018- Adelaide- India beat Australia by 31 runs
2002- Port of Spain- India beat West Indies by 37 runs
2006- Kingston- India beat West Indies by 49 runs
Narrowest defeat margins by runs for England
2023- Wellington- 1 vs NZ
1902- Manchester- 3 vs AUS
1885- Sydney- 6 vs AUS
2025- The Oval- 6 vs IND
Slimmest margin of wins by runs in Test overall
| S. No. | Winner | Margin | Target | Opposition | Ground | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Indies | 1 run | 186 | Australia | Adelaide | 1993 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 1 run | 258 | England | Wellington | 2023 |
| 3 | England | 2 runs | 282 | Australia | Birmingham | 2005 |
| 4 | Australia | 3 runs | 124 | England | Manchester | 1902 |
| 5 | England | 3 runs | 292 | Australia | Melbourne | 1982 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 4 runs | 176 | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 2018 |
| 7 | South Africa | 5 runs | 117 | Australia | Sydney | 1994 |
| 8 | India* | 6 runs | 374 | England | London | 2025 |
| 9 | Australia | 6 runs | 214 | England | Sydney | 1885 |
| 10 | Australia | 7 runs | 85 | England | The Oval | 1882 |