ENG vs IND | English bowlers rule the roost on rain-marred Day 1 at The Oval

08/01/2025

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Josh Tongue scalped two crucial scalps in the final session for England against India on Day 1 of the fifth Test at The Oval

India lost a 15th toss on the trot at The Oval on Thursday and paid for it by being asked to bat first on a green top under overcast skies, resulting in a score of 204/6 at Stumps. Rain allowed only XX overs of play but it was enough for the returning Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson to scalp two each.

England had a fresh new-ball pair of Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson to begin proceedings in the fifth Test and the latter announced his return in style by trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal plumb in his second over. KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan dug in thereafter to build an attritional stand of 28 -- majority of which came through extras in a nine-ball over by Josh Tongue -- but a wicket always seemed to be on the horizon, and ultimately arrived when the opener chopped on a Woakes delivery. As the lacquer wore off the Dukes, conditions seemed to relatively get better for batting, allowing the well-versed duo of Sai and skipper Shubman Gill to accumulate 34 runs together before rain forced early Lunch at 72/2.

The pair picked up exactly where they had left off after the extended break as the stand swelled close to a half-century. However, just as scales were shifting in the visitors' favour, Gill erronously sprinted for a run after defending a ball back to Atkinson who struck down the stumps with aplomb. Rain arrived immediately after to inflict further misery, as India went into Tea at 83/3.

Once the rain cleared, England used the momentum to shackle India as Jamie Overton and Atkinson delivered probing spells. However, it was Tongue that earned the breakthrough with an unplayable outswinger from around the wicket to Sai who could little but nick the ball behind to Jamie Smith for 38. The right-arm quick then delivered a replica of the jaffa to dispatch another southpaw Ravindra Jadeja for single digits, leaving the visitors reeling at 123/5. Dhruv Jurel looked no more comfortable than the rest of his peers as he grinded his way to 19 and had a review overturned. Yet, as fate would have it, the young wicket-keeper prodded at an Atkinson bumper the very next ball and trudged back the dugout for a score of 19. All this while, Karun Nair kept busy at the other end, battling hard for his first fifty in Test cricket since the iconic triple ton in 2016. Previous Test's centurion Washington Sundar gave him good company at the other end, remaining unbeaten on 19 at Stumps with the partnership reading 51.

Quick call!

Experts react as makes a lightning-quick LBW call on ⚡

Did he judge it too quickly or just perfectly? 👀 👉 5th TEST, DAY 1 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia)

Nobody knows

If Josh Tongue doesn’t know where it’s going how can a batsman?
— Karl Cunliffe (@KDCunliffe)

It's a shame

It's a shame that on the best fast bowling wicket of the series, both teams have less than full-strength pace attacks.
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN)

How much more luck

How much more luck does India need now? England has given it all on a platter for you. Dominate.
— Goodman (@slippintakavic)

Unless...

Unless this wicket dries & the sun appears - then I feel England are in deep manure.

India won't waste conditions like this, their bowlers are much better than the dross England brought in (barring Atkinson).
— Nunya Bisnis 🤫 (@NunyaBisnis9)

How not to

How not to bowl on a green top. England losing the game. India will bowl them out for under 150
— Stephen Richards (@Stephen12410883)

Spot on

Broad and Atherton spot on. Scorecard flatters England. They've been absolutely dreadful.

On absolute basis, they'll be the happier side. But India really shouldn't be more than 150/8 in these conditions.

Grotesque underperformance from ECB
— Hazza 🇵🇸 (@AzzurriLFC)

Should've