England made two changes from the XI that levelled the series at Headingley, bringing in Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes for Jos Buttler and Sam Curran, but there was no recall for the fit-again Mark Wood at the Oval.
From enormously promising positions, after putting India in to bat, on day one, when ahead on first innings by virtue of Ollie Pope’s knock and again on day five, they failed to seize the initiative, shelling catches, stroke-makers holing out when well-set and falling into a strategical muddle, they contrived to lose the fourth Test by 157 runs.
They are now one down with one to play at Old Trafford, Fail to win in Manchester and England will lose both home Test series in a summer for the first time since 1986.
Nick Hoult runs the rule over the performances at the Oval and their prospects for keeping their places.
Rory Burns 5/10
A single-figure score and a fifty sums up Burns as a Test player. England need more consistency and he has to be better at slip, two drops let India off the hook.
Haseeb Hameed 6/10
Encouraging half-century but again went scoreless as soon as India bowled tighter. Concerns over his suitability in Australia against fast, accurate bowling continue to mount but really there is nobody else and Hameed appears a quick learner.
Dawid Malan 4/10
How he reacts to a quiet Test match will say a lot about Malan. Will he start beating himself up again and let the pressure mount by worrying about his Ashes place or prove he has matured and coolly move on?
Joe Root 5/10
Lulled into picking the wrong team by India’s 78 all out at Headingley and his golden run with the bat had to end at some point, Umesh Yadav’s delivery to bowl him through the gate in the first innings was the blueprint for India.
Ollie Pope 7/10
A good 81 and he clearly learned from watching Root. Played within himself and looked tighter at the crease but Root would have gone on and scored a hundred. Being beaten by a straight ball from Bumrah in the second innings was a worry.
Jonny Bairstow 4/10
Also guilty of not punishing India, making another middling score, and dropped a leg-side catch in the first innings. He has looked in decent touch all series, but one fifty is not a good enough return and he will know it could catch up with him.
Moeen Ali 3/10
Poor Test for the stand-in vice captain. Not easy being a spinner under Root but he was milked at 4.5 an over, played a poor shot in the first innings, and missed an easy run out.
Chris Woakes 8/10
England’s best player. A fine cricketer who slotted back into Test cricket after a year out as if he had never been away. Reliable with the ball, and hammered a fifty to lift England to 290.
Craig Overton 3/10
A good pick at Headingley, bad one here. It is all well and good talking about high release points but it is pace off the pitch that mattered at the Oval. Overton has been short of bowling and looked tired. He was neither a workhorse nor a strike bowler.
Ollie Robinson 6/10
Looks like he needs a rest after a brilliant but draining first summer in Test cricket. His height and bounce will be useful in Manchester if there is enough puff left in his lungs.
James Anderson 6/10
Again England’s most reliable bowler and kept his pace up at 83mph, the quickest in the second innings, despite the workload. Forced to bowl more because others were struggling and at 2-1 England will need him again on his home ground.