The conditions are gloomy at the Kennington Oval in London, so much so that the lights were put on inside the first 10 overs. The thick grass cover on the pitch is exacerbating the problem for the batters. The ball is, rather unsurprisingly, hooping around the corners, and the scoreboard bears testimony. India have lost both the in-form openers, making an abhorrent start to their endeavour to equalize the series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a bittersweet series. He kicked if off with a masterful century, almost backing it up with another. At that point it looked like he was picking up from where he left in England – he made 712 runs in five games on the previous tour – but a couple of early exits later he now has 293 at an average of 36. He would’ve certainly liked to improve that tally, but there is only one chance remaining.
His latest dismissal came courtesy of Gus Atkinson, whose wobble seamer decked in to strike the pads in front. The on-field umpire wasn’t convinced but Ollie Pope opted for a review and managed to get one right, for a welcome change.
'England are looking for their biggest scalp of the Bazball era' 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/nPeJzlOKQ4
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 31, 2025
Atkinson is giving a good account of himself on his return from a hamstring injury. He didn’t have adequate miles under his legs, save for a Surrey second XIs game, but his first over was right on the money. He looked at ease bowling to the right-left opening combination, pitching the ball up to both Yashasvi and KL Rahul, which is precisely what the conditions demanded. His speeds were remarkable too, north of 135kmph.
India were under the pump due to the early blow in menacing conditions, and England made sure there was no wiggle room for the visitors. Just five runs came in six overs between 9.2 and 15.1, and the tight squeeze meant an error was drawn from the usually composed Rahul who latched onto a ball that was perhaps too close to cut, inside edging it onto his stumps for 14 off 40.
Captain Shubman Gill, who today trumped Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs in a Test series as Indian skipper, is trying to weather the storm along with Sai Sudharsan. They have done well to ensure the tourists do not lose any further wickets before the Lunch break, with the score ambling to 72.
