England got off to a blistering start in their first innings, reaching 109 for 1 at lunch on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval, after dismissing the visitors for 224 earlier in the morning.
India managed an early breakthrough through pacer Akash Deep, who removed the dangerous Ben Duckett for 43, caught behind by the wicketkeeper. However, by then, the damage had already been done, with England racing to 92 runs in just the first 13 overs of their innings, significantly eating into India’s modest total.
Duckett’s innings, a brisk 43 off just 38 balls, featured five boundaries and a couple of sixes. He took the attack to the Indian bowlers early on, setting the tone for England’s aggressive reply. His dismissal came against the run of play, offering India a glimmer of hope, but the visitors struggled to maintain control thereafter.
Zak Crawley, in imperious form, led the charge for the hosts. He remained unbeaten on 52 off just 43 deliveries at the break, peppering the boundary with 12 fours. His positive intent and fluent strokeplay kept the scoreboard ticking rapidly, as England looked to build a strong first-innings lead.
Ollie Pope, batting on 12*, provided steady support to Crawley at the other end. Together, the duo had taken England to within 115 runs of India’s total, with nine wickets still in hand and conditions seemingly easing for batting.
Earlier in the day, India’s innings wrapped up quickly after resuming at 204 for 6. The final four wickets fell for just 20 runs as Gus Atkinson completed a superb five-wicket haul (5/33), and Josh Tongue (3/57) cleaned up the tail with disciplined seam bowling. India’s lower order once again failed to contribute meaningfully, offering little resistance on a surface offering early seam movement but flattening out as the day progressed.
With the pitch settling and overhead conditions improving, the Indian bowlers struggled to generate the same kind of assistance their English counterparts enjoyed during the morning session. England’s aggressive top order capitalised fully, putting the Indian attack under sustained pressure with fluent strokeplay and clever shot selection.
As play resumes post-lunch, India will be desperate to find quick wickets and regain some control, while England will aim to build a dominant first-innings lead and put the visitors on the back foot.
Brief scores: India 1st innings: 224 all out in 69.4 overs (Karun Nair 57, Sai Sudharsan 38; Gus Atkinson 5/33); England 1st innings: 109/1 in 16 overs (Zak Crawley 52, Ben Duckett 43; Akash Deep 1/46)*
