What happened on Day 1 of England vs India, 5th Test? All you need to know

Team India were asked to bat first in the fifth Test at The Oval as England’s stand-in skipper, Ollie Pope, won the toss. Considering the overcast conditions and grassy deck, he opted to bowl first. Both teams made four changes to their respective playing XIs from the Manchester Test.

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England brought in Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson in place of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Liam Dawson. India, meanwhile, brought in Karun Nair, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, and Prasidh Krishna in place of Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Anshul Kamboj.

It was a green deck and, as expected, it wasn’t easy for the visitors’ batters to score at will. England’s bowlers made full use of the swing-friendly conditions. As a result, both openers—Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and KL Rahul (14)—got out cheaply as India were reduced to 38/2 in 15.1 overs.

Skipper Shubman Gill then joined Sai Sudharsan in the middle as they looked to steady the innings. However, rain struck suddenly, and at that point, India were 72/2 in 23 overs, leading to an early lunch.

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After a brief delay, play resumed—but only for six overs before rain interrupted again. Unfortunately for India, during that passage of play, they lost their captain Gill, who was run out due to a miscommunication. He departed for 21 off 35 balls. At Tea, India were 85/3 in 29 overs, with Karun Nair joining Sudharsan at the crease.

Woakes suffered a shoulder injury

The final session saw a relatively uninterrupted spell of 35 overs, giving fans some solid action. But India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. First, Sudharsan was dismissed for 38 off 108 balls, followed by in-form Ravindra Jadeja for just 9.

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Nair and Jurel stitched a 30-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Jurel threw his wicket away for 19, playing an unnecessary shot. But it was Karun Nair who held his nerve under continuous pressure from England’s bowlers and brought up his first fifty of the series. 

He had played the first three matches before being dropped for the fourth Test. So, this Oval match was crucial for him—and when the team needed him the most, Nair delivered. He remained unbeaten on 52 off 98 balls, with Washington Sundar holding firm on 19* off 45.

India finished Day One at 204/6 in 64 overs. For England, both Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson picked up two wickets each, while Chris Woakes took one. However, Woakes suffered a shoulder injury while trying to save a boundary late in the day, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be fit to bowl further in this match.

The first session on Day Two will be crucial. India will look to add as many runs as possible, while England will aim to wrap up the innings quickly.

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