Both India and Australia drew 2-2 in their last Test series in England in 2021-22 for India and 2019 for Australia.
India have played 6 Test Matches in England since the pandemic at the start of 2020 whereas Australia have played 0.
India have only won two Test Matches at The Oval before in 1971 and 2021 respectively – a 50 year gap before their latest appearance and victory at the venue.
Indian Head Coach Rahul Dravid scored his final Test century at the venue in August 2011 in an innings where the 38 year-old veteran at the time carried his bat in a summer where the home side topped the Test rankings under the leadership of Sir Andrew Strauss. Dravid also led India to a Test series win at The Oval in 2007 in a match where he interestingly compiled 12 from 96 balls despite India leading by over 300 going into the 3rd innings of that Test. It was also a Test Match where Anil Kumble made his sole Test century against Michael Vaughan’s side in what turned out to be his final Test appearance on English shores.
India won their last Test series in England in 2007 whereas Australia won their last Test series in England in 2001. Neither side have won any of their last four Test series in England, although both have drawn their most recent one.
India played Australia in a World Cup fixture at The Oval in 1999 and 2019 with Australia winning in 1999 and India winning in 2019.
India have won their last four Test series against Australia. All by a 2-1 margin in a four match series. Those series have been held in Australia (2018-19 and 2020-2021) and India twice each (2017 and 2023).
India have only played one neutral Test Match before which was the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final of 2021 against New Zealand in Southampton.
Australia lost their last neutral Test Match in England at Leeds against Pakistan in what was the debut Test series of Steve Smith in 2010.
Australia will play a five match Test series in England straight after the encounter vs India for The Ashes. Therefore Australia will be playing 6 Tests in England this summer. India were also the tourists for a 5 match Test series in England after the 2021 World Test Championship final. However, they had a longer gap before starting that series against the hosts England after the WTC final of 2021 and also the 5th Test of that series didn’t actually get played for COVID related reasons. And unlike India in 2021, Australia will be taking on England too at the exact venue of the ICC World Test Championship final in one of the 5 Tests that follow this big final later in the summer.
Australia’s last Test Match in England was The Oval in 2019 where they were beaten by the home side. This prevented the tourists from winning their first Test series in England since 2001, despite them retaining The Ashes by winning the previous Test Match at Old Trafford in that 2019 summer.
It will be the third consecutive English summer which features India playing Test Cricket in England, albeit just in a one off neutral Test for the third of those summers in 2023.
India beat England by 10 wickets in a one day international at The Oval on Tuesday 12th July 2022, their last appearance at the venue prior to the final.
India have played an ICC final at The Oval in 2017 where they were beaten by Pakistan by a margin of 180 runs in June 2017.
Indian Captain Rohit Sharma played his last overseas Test at the venue in 2021, scoring a century in a winning cause.
The Oval Test win in 2021 was the last Test of Ravi Shastri’s four year coaching tenure with Team India, although Ravi wasn’t quite present for the latter days in the match due to testing positive for COVID.
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