LONDON, Aug 12: India left England needing to score a record-breaking total if they were to win the third and final Test at The Oval here on Sunday.

England, at stumps on the fourth day, were 56 without loss – needing a further 444 runs to reach a fourth innings victory total of 500.

That was way in excess of the current Test record of 418 for seven made by West Indies against Australia in Antigua four years ago.

However, Andrew Strauss was 23 not out and Alastair Cook 27 not out after they'd batted for 20 overs before the close.

India, 1-0 up after a seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge following a gutsy draw at Lord's, were themselves on the verge of making history.

They needed to avoid defeat on Monday's final day to become only the third India side, after their 1971 and 1986 predecessors, to win a Test series in England in 15 tours dating back 75 years.

Victory for England would see them maintain a six-year unbeaten run in home Test series, encompassing eight wins and three draws in 11 campaigns, since losing the 2001 Ashes.

England, outplayed for the first three days, had a glimmer of hope when they reduced India to 11 for three in their second innings with James Anderson capturing the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, in what could be his last Test in this country, for one.But experienced left-hander Saurav Ganguly hit back with a dashing 57.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) and V.V.S. Laxman, unbeaten on 48, when the declaration came at 180 for six, added further impetus with a stand of 69.

England were a bowler light with left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom off the field with a side strain sustained during India's first innings.

India captain Rahul Dravid contributed just five to a partnership of 67 with former captain Ganguly in what was likely to be the experienced duo's last Test in England as well.

Dravid, nicknamed ‘The Wall’, finally ran out of patience when he was caught at slip by Strauss off Paul Collingwood for 12 made off 96 balls.

Medium-pacer Collingwood's figures of two for 24 in 10 were his best in a Test innings.

Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow-on when England were bowled out for 345 – a first innings deficit of 319 – was understandable as it seemed this was the only way Michael Vaughan's men could win the match.

But few could have foreseen India's top-order collapse.

Tendulkar, after both openers fell cheaply, was soon back in the pavilion as well, bowled by fast bowler Anderson with an inside-edged drive knocking his middle and leg stumps out of the ground.

Earlier Anil Kumble, whose maiden Test century of 110 not out had been the centrepiece of India's first innings 664, their record total against England, became Test cricket's third most successful bowler outright, ahead of retired Australia quick Glenn McGrath.

The leg-spinner took his 564th wicket in his 118th Test when he had last man Monty Panesar lbw for nine.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 664 (A. Kumble 110 not out, M.S. Dhoni 92, K.D. Karthik 91, S.R. Tendulkar 82, R. Dravid 55, V.V.S. Laxman 51; J.M. Anderson 4-182).

ENGLAND (1st Innings, overnight 326-9):

A.J. Strauss c Sreesanth b Zaheer 6

A.N. Cook c R.P. Singh b Kumble 61

J.M. Anderson lbw b R.P. Singh 16

M.P. Vaughan c and b Kumble 11

K.P. Pietersen c Dravid b Tendulkar 41

P.D. Collingwood lbw b Sreesanth 62

I.R. Bell c Dhoni b Zaheer 63

M.J. Prior c Tendulkar b Sreesanth 0

R.J. Sidebottom c and b Zaheer 2

C.T. Tremlett not out 25

M.S. Panesar lbw b Kumble 9

EXTRAS (B-16, LB-12, W-10, NB-11) 49

TOTAL (all out, 103.1 overs) 345

FALL OF WKTS: 1-12, 2-78, 3-119, 4-124, 5-202, 6-288, 7-303, 8-305, 9-305.

BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 22-13-32-3; Sreesanth 21-2-80-2 (7nb, 2w); Kumble 29.1-7-94-3 (4nb); R.P. Singh 18-3-72-1 (7w); Ganguly 5-1-8-0 (1w); Tendulkar 7-0-26-1; Laxman 1-0-5-0.

INDIA (2nd Innings):

K.D. Karthik c Collingwood b Tremlett 8

Wasim Jaffer lbw b Anderson 0

R. Dravid c Strauss b Collingwood 12

S.R. Tendulkar b Anderson 1

S.C. Ganguly c Strauss b Collingwood 57

V.V.S. Laxman not out 46

M.S. Dhoni c Prior b Tremlett 36

A. Kumble not out 8

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, NB-6) 12

TOTAL (for six decl, 58 overs) 180

FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-10, 3-11, 4-76, 5-89, 6-158.

BOWLING: Anderson 15-8-34-2; Tremlett 15-2-58-2 (5nb); Collingwood 10-1-24-2 (1nb); Panesar 18-1-58-0.

ENGLAND (2nd Innings):

A.J. Strauss not out 23

A.N. Cook not out 27

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6

TOTAL (for no wkt, 20 overs) 56

BOWLING (to-date): Zaheer Khan 6-0-15-0 (2w); Sreesanth 5-3-5-0 (1w); Kumble 5-1-21-0; R.P. Singh 3-1-6-0; Tendulkar 1-0-6-0.

—AFP