On a pitch tailor-made for seamers and under persistent grey skies, India finished a stop-start opening day at 204/6 in the series-deciding fifth Test against England at The Oval. Karun Nair, brought back into the XI after being dropped for the fourth Test, stood firm with an unbeaten 52 on a day when the ball did plenty and wickets fell regularly. The rain intervened twice, limiting play to 64 overs, but the underlying talking point remained the nature of the surface, and Sunil Gavaskar didn’t hold back.
During a chat on Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar appeared to take a jab at the England bowling lineup as he talked about the pitch. The side is playing without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse – who led the pace attack in the third and fourth Test. Stokes is the highest wicket-taker in the series so far, while Archer and Carse have also chipped in with regular wickets.
“(Unke paas koi bowling bhi hai nahi, isliye aisi pitch banaayi) They don’t have a quality bowling attack, that’s why they made a pitch like this,” Gavaskar said on-air, offering a pointed remark about the hosts.
“Stokes had taken wickets, Archer took wickets, Carse took wickets. If they aren’t playing, who else will take wickets? That’s the reason they made a pitch like this so that Tongue and others can get some help.”
Indeed, the green-tinged surface at The Oval offered significant seam movement throughout the day, especially under overcast conditions. While Gus Atkinson impressed on debut with a couple of key wickets, his fellow seamers, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton, were erratic for large periods despite the help on offer. Chris Woakes, who had played all five Tests, injured his shoulder while fielding and walked off the ground, his availability in doubt for the remainder of the game.
Nair leads India’s battle
India’s innings was anchored by Nair, who capitalised on the opportunity with a gritty half-century; his first fifty-plus score since returning to Test cricket after eight years earlier in the series. He found a steady partner in Washington Sundar (19*), as the duo added an unbroken 45-run stand for the seventh wicket to bring some stability.
Earlier, India lost both openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, cheaply. Rahul, one of India’s most consistent batters this series, chopped onto his stumps trying to cut a ball too close to his body. Captain Shubman Gill looked in good touch before running himself out for 21 in bizarre fashion, attempting a risky single to mid-off where Atkinson hit the stumps direct.
Despite the setbacks, Gill managed to surpass Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series – his tally now at 733. Sai Sudharsan, looking composed for much of his 108-ball stay, eventually fell to a classic seaming delivery from Tongue, who also removed Jadeja in similar fashion later in the session.
