Oval Test: Karun Nair's fighting fifty helps India survive challenging Day 1

India managed to survive under challenging conditions on Day 1 of the fifth Test against England at the Oval as they finished the day on xxx/x. Karun Nair led the charge with his sublime innings on a stop-start day for the visitors as rain continued to break their momentum in the first two sessions.

For England, Gus Atkinson (2/31) and Josh Tongue (2/47) emerged as the top wicket takers as neither team could claim control of the match at stumps. Despite taking six wickets in the day, experts criticised England's bowlers, who they felt could’ve done more given the amount of movement available throughout the day.

It all started with the coin toss once again falling against India captain Shubman Gill, who lost his fifth successive toss of the series. It was also India’s 15th successive toss loss in



international cricket, a rare occurrence which has a probability of 1/32768.

As a result, the Shubman Gill-led side had to bat under the challenging conditions on a green top with overcast conditions overhead – a perfect recipe for disaster for any batting line up.

It didn’t take long for the treacherous conditions to cause harm, as Yashasvi Jaiswal was trapped in front of the stumps in just the fourth over by Gus Atkison. The India opener fell prey to the deliveries coming in from around the stumps seventh time in the series and got dismissed lbw for 2 (9).

Jaiswal’s weakness was also highlighted by legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar, who suggested him to alter his technique to avoid the dismissal. Sai Sudhardsan replaced Jaiswal at the crease as he walked in at number three.