Day 1 of the fifth and final Test match against England at The Oval saw Karun Nair emerge as India’s hero, striking a half-century after nine years to keep the visitors in the match despite the day being disrupted by nonstop rain.
India recovered from the early dismissals with 204 for 6 at stumps, with to Nair’s 52* off 98 balls and his partnership with Washington Sundar (19* off 45). After choosing to bowl first, England was unable to take advantage of favourable conditions for their seamers. After their 15th consecutive defeat, India’s bad luck at the toss persisted, as they were once again forced to bat first under difficult circumstances.
Gus Atkinson’s full delivery trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for two. KL Rahul appeared strong, but Chris Woakes put him down for 14. After Atkinson’s outstanding fielding in his follow-through, Shubman Gill, who had already surpassed the record for the most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series, was dismissed for 21. After a fantastic delivery by Josh Tongue, Sai Sudharsan added 38 but lost by a slim margin.
With rain coming and going, only 64 overs were bowled in total. For Karun Nair, this was his first Test fifty in 3,149 days, the second-longest such gap for an Indian player.
Since scoring a triple-century in 2016, Nair had been sidelined from selection. But his strong domestic performances led him to make his comeback finally. The Indian dressing room will not be too happy with the score, but have a fighting chance as they will take the field on the second day. With showers predicted on the following day aswell, both teams will look to make impact and apply pressure on the other.
India
