Jaiswal’s Blazing Fifty & Pace Powerhouse Duo Put England on the Ropes at The Oval

Siraj and Krishna Rip Through England with Four-Wicket Hauls Each, Setting Up a Commanding Lead for India as Yashasvi Jaiswal Smashes an Unbeaten Half-Century on Day Two of the Fifth Test.

London, UK: What a day of Test cricket! The Oval put on a great show on Friday, with India taking the lead owing to an amazing team effort. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna both took four wickets, destroying England’s batting order. Then, emerging star Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a quick-fire half-century, putting India solidly in control at the end of Day Two

When the stumps were pulled, India was at 75 for 2, with the exciting Jaiswal still going strong with 51 runs, thanks to night-watchman Akash Deep (4). Most importantly, they are presently 52 runs ahead of England. England scored 247 runs in their first innings, which was a response to India’s 224. However, it was the relentless speed and accuracy of Prasidh Krishna (4/62) and Mohammed Siraj (4/86) that really changed the game. They kept England from getting a big lead and caused a spectacular collapse in their batting.

England’s Crumble and India’s First Jolt
England was at 215 for 7 as the last session started. Harry Brook (33*) and Gus Atkinson, a good lower-order batsman, were trying to save something. Atkinson was able to get away from a challenging over from Siraj, but his luck ran out fast. Prasidh Krishna, who wanted another wicket, got him out with a mis-hit that Akash Deep easily caught at mid-on. Atkinson was out for 11, bringing the score to 235 for 8.

After a short break for rain (because what’s an English Test without a little weather?), Brook hit his 13th Test fifty in just 57 balls. It was a defiant knock with five fours and a six. But his happiness didn’t last long. Siraj, who was impossible to hit at times, got him out for 53 runs off 64 balls, ending England’s innings at 247 runs. England did get a small silver lining: they had a 23-run lead for a short time because Chris Woakes was hurt and couldn’t bat.

Siraj (4/62) and Krishna (4/80) were without a doubt India’s best bowlers, both taking four important wickets. Akash Deep also got a wicket, making India’s bowling even better. This would undoubtedly give them more confidence.

The second innings for India started off strong with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the batting. Jaiswal, evidently determined to make up for his single-digit score in the first innings, hit a lot of boundaries, including three fours off Gus Atkinson in the third over alone. This was a strong statement of intent! He kept getting boundaries against Atkinson and Josh Tongue, playing freely. But the partnership ended as KL Rahul fell to Tongue in the 10th over. Joe Root caught him at slips for just seven runs, making the score 46 for 1.

In just 11.3 overs, Sai Sudharsan hit a well-placed boundary past leg-gully to bring India’s score to 50. The rest of the day was tense, with Jaiswal gaining a break when Liam Dawson dropped him and Sudharsan also getting a break when he dropped a slip and an LBW appeal. Even though he was worried, Jaiswal kept going like a hero and scored his third half-century of the series in just 44 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. It was an amazing display of aggression!

At the end of the game, Atkinson got the wicket of Sudharsan (11 runs off 29 balls) just as India was starting to get going. Bad light cut the day’s events short not long after that. India was up by 52 runs, which was a good place to be going into Day Three.

England’s Rollercoaster Start and India’s First Innings End
Earlier in the day, England had started their first innings again at 109 for 1 in the second session. Zak Crawley (52) and Ollie Pope (12) both seemed comfortable. But Prasidh Krishna got the first wicket of this session, getting rid of the dangerous Crawley (64 runs off 57 balls, with 14 fours) with a great catch by Ravindra Jadeja at midwicket. That wicket at 129 for 2 started a huge collapse.

From then on, England’s performance steadily got worse. Prasidh and Siraj bowled together very well, taking off the middle order one by one. By the conclusion of the session, England was reeling at 215 for 7 after Ollie Pope (22), Joe Root (29), Jacob Bethell (6), Jamie Smith (8), and Jamie Overton (0) all fell rapidly. During that important time, the two Indian fast bowlers took three wickets between them.

At the end of the first session, England was 109 for 1, with Crawley (52) and Ollie Pope (12) still in the game. They were 115 runs behind India.

India started Day Two with their first innings at 204 for 6, with Karun Nair (52) and Washington Sundar (19) at the crease. The two started out well, with each of them hitting a boundary against Josh Tongue in the first over. Nair, on the other hand, had survived an earlier LBW protest against Atkinson, but he eventually went leg-before to Josh Tongue for a tough 57 runs off 109 balls. At 218 for 7, his 55-run partnership with Sundar came to an end. Soon after, Sundar himself was out, caught at deep square leg off Tongue’s bowling for 26. Atkinson then easily got rid of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, bringing his total to five wickets. In the end, India was out for 224 runs in 69.4 overs.

Atkinson (5/33) and Tongue (3/57) were the most dangerous players for England, always stopping India from forming any important partnerships.

The first innings for England started off well and aggressively, with openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett showing how to play attacking cricket. Crawley hit a lot of boundaries against Siraj, and Duckett hit Akash Deep hard, hitting him for three fours in one over. Duckett’s ramp shot over the covers gave England their fifty in the seventh over. They kept attacking Prasidh Krishna till Dhruv Jurel caught Duckett behind the wicket for a fast 43 off 38 balls. England got to 100 in 14.4 overs, and Crawley got his 19th Test fifty in just 42 balls before the first session ended.

Quick Scores: England: 247 (Zak Crawley 64, Harry Brook 53; Prasidh Krishna 4/62, Mohammed Siraj 4/86)
India: 224 (Karun Nair 57, Sai Sudharsan 38; Gus Atkinson 5/33, Josh Tongue 3/57) and 75/2 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 51*; Gus Atkinson 1/26)