Karun Nair and Washington Sundar Forge Crucial Partnership to Stabilize Innings Following England’s Pace Assault and Tricky Conditions in Fifth Test.
London, UK: The first day of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval was full of ups and downs, with tough conditions, excellent bowling, and plenty of Indian tenacity. After losing a lot of wickets quickly, Karun Nair stood up and scored an important, unbeaten half-century. He also formed a much-needed partnership with Washington Sundar, who was just as determined, to help India get back into the game.
India was at 204 for 6 when the stumps were drawn on Thursday. Nair was still not out with 52 runs, while Sundar was still not out with 19 runs. Their partnership has so far added a crucial 51 runs, giving the visitors optimism after they were in trouble at 153 for 6 earlier in the day.
India was in a bad spot at the start of the last session, with Nair and the promising Sai Sudharsan (28*) at the crease. The two demonstrated right away that they wanted to win, with Sudharsan especially eager to score. He hit the boundary twice against Jamie Overton. India got passed 100 runs in 34.3 overs thanks to this early aggression.
But the tide turned again when Josh Tongue caught an edge off Sudharsan’s bat and sent it straight to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Sudharsan bravely stayed at the crease for 108 balls, hitting six fours, but he was out for 38, leaving India at 101 for 4. The intermediate order kept falling apart under stress. Ravindra Jadeja didn’t stay at the crease for long; he only scored nine runs off of 13 balls before Tongue struck again, taking his wicket with another catch from Jamie Smith. India was now halfway through and had only 123 runs, which made them susceptible.
The youthful wicketkeeper-batsman Jurel looked good at first, hitting two boundaries. He barely survived an LBW appeal against Gus Atkinson, but his luck ran out on the following delivery. Harry Brook caught an outside edge off his bat right away in the slips. Jurel left with 19 runs off 40 balls, which put India in a lot of problems at 153 for 6.
But Nair stayed strong in the middle of the pandemonium. He kept scoring even as the wickets were tumbling around him, hitting Overton for two clean fours. He and Washington Sundar made it through the storm together, showing great character. Nair’s hard work paid off as he hit his half-century in just 90 balls, with seven fours. This showed how strong he was. The partnership started to grow, and in 61.1 overs, India passed the 200-run mark. Both Nair and Sundar made sure that no more wickets fell, which was very important because it brought a much-needed finish to a crazy day.
India was 72 for 2 at the start of the second session, with captain Shubman Gill (15) and Sudharsan (25) at the crease. There were great hopes for a good combination, but things went wrong when captain Gill tried a reckless single that ended up being a bad idea. Gus Atkinson made a great play in the field that led to a run-out, sending Gill back to the pavilion after scoring 21 runs off 35 balls, including four boundaries. India was now 83 for 3 as this ended a 45-run stand. After rain stopped play again, tea was served early, with the score at 85 for 3 with Nair (0) and Sudharsan (28) remaining at the crease before the last session began.
The unpredictable English weather had an effect on the day’s events from the start. Before the first ball was bowled, it had already rained twice, making the ground a little wet and the sky cloudy. The first two Indian batsmen, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, had a tough job right from the start.
Without the strong Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, who was back in the Test arena, instantly unsettled India’s top order with his fast pace on his home field. Atkinson hit Jaiswal right below the knee-roll of his pads with a delivery that angled downward and suggested movement. The English players were confused for a moment over the decision. Captain Ben Pope went with his gut, even when people had different perspectives. This made Ben Duckett very unhappy. Even Ben Stokes, who was supposed to be the captain, looked confused for a moment before checking the tape. The check verified Jaiswal’s fate: the ball clearly flew past his bat, ending his innings for just 2 runs off 9 balls.
KL Rahul sought to help India come back by pushing for a stable innings with Sudharsan. The two carefully monitored the ball as they went through a tough time. But Chris Woakes skillfully tricked Rahul into hacking the ball back onto his stumps, which ruined all of his hard work. Rahul left for 14 runs off 40 balls, which made things worse for India.
Shubman Gill’s entrance brought back a sense of peace to the crease. He hit three boundaries, trying to make up for the early losses, thanks to his calm strokeplay and well-thought-out risks. The sun shone on The Oval for a short while, but then dark clouds crept in again, and the rain kept coming down, forcing both teams to take an early lunch. This set the stage for the dramatic afternoon sessions.
India scored 204 runs and lost 6 wickets (Karun Nair 52*, Sai Sudharsan 38; Gus Atkinson 2/31) against England.