Rain Delays and Early Woes as India Seek Comeback in 5th Test vs England

India vs England 5th Test Day 1 live news from The Oval London: Rain interrupted play after initial blows from England pacers but Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan aided India's recovery to 72/2 at lunch. Wet outfield is likely to force another inspection.

Rain Delays and Early Woes as India Seek Comeback in 5th Test vs England

The final fifth Test match between England and India at the Oval in London commenced to great expectations, but rain and gloomy weather soon made their presence known. The day began with England stand-in captain Ollie Pope winning the toss and deciding to bowl first on a ground that appeared friendly for fast bowlers. The weather conditions further added to the woes of Indian batters as the English pace attack made full use of the swing-friendly environment. Gus Atkinson set the tone early in the fourth over by sending Yashasvi Jaiswal back to the pavilion which provided England an early breakthrough and further put pressure on the Indian top order. Soon after that Chris Woakes dismissed KL Rahul back to the pavilion with another excellent ball on the first ball of the sixteenth over that put India in a difficult spot.

In spite of these initial blows India was able to establish some stability due to the composed alliance between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan. The pair exercised good patience and concentration to lead India to 72 runs for the loss of two wickets before lunch. But the session ended prematurely as there was heavy rain which led to an early lunch and suspension of play. The rain did not relent and the ground staff had to maintain the covers for quite some time creating a soggy outfield. Due to this another inspection was planned to be conducted later in the evening at 7 pm IST to determine whether the game would be resumed. The match situation remained suspended as the weather still played the spoilsport.

The Kennington Oval pitch was already favouring the bowlers and the overcast conditions made it even more difficult for the batters. The English pace bowlers were impeccable in their line and length and kept putting the Indian batsmen under pressure from the beginning. Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes spearheaded the attack with sharp and swinging balls that continued to challenge the Indian top order. Both bowlers got an early start by dismissing important players before they could settle down. Both these early wickets could have been disastrous but Gill and Sudharsan played under pressure successfully and ensured that India was not completely wiped out. They played patient cricket and rotated the strike while punishing the loose balls. Their association provided India an opportunity to recover from the twin setbacks and also steadied the innings as the team attempted to gather its strides in the challenging circumstances.

The Indian playing eleven for the match were Yashasvi Jaiswal KL Rahul Sai Sudharsan Shubman Gill Karun Nair Ravindra Jadeja Dhruv Jurel who captured the wicketkeeping assignments Washington Sundar Akash Deep Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. This team represented a blend of experience and youth as India sought to close out the series in style. England's counterpart played a formidable team consisting of Zak Crawley Ben Duckett Ollie Pope captain of the team Joe Root Harry Brook Jacob Bethell Jamie Smith who did the wicket-keeping Chris Woakes Gus Atkinson Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue. Both teams had strategically selected players with an eye to the pitch and the likely conditions that would influence the run of the game.

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy had already treated fans to some nail-biting moments during the series and the fifth Test had promised to be no exception. Alas rain has become the centre of attention yet again as it had been in quite a few previous games in this English summer. Wet conditions, however, do not just impact the playing hours but also throw more questions around the manner in which the pitch will play when action eventually gets underway. For now the fans in the stadium as well as the ones watching the match live will have to wait and watch until the inspection whether additional cricket will be possible on the first day.

On 72 for 2 in 23 overs and with the current run rate standing at 3.13 India still has the possibility to score a respectable first innings score if the weather permits play. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are likely to continue the good work and set the stage for the middle order comprising players such as Karun Nair and Ravindra Jadeja. It is now up to these batters to lead India into a commanding position once the game resumes. Meanwhile England will attempt to hit again promptly and get complete possession of the match while the conditions remain favorable to bowlers.

Rain breaks and stop-start matches have been all too familiar during this tour and the weather is once again forcing both teams to change their plans accordingly. The expectation is that clouds clear and fans get to see some good cricket as the series comes to a close. As of now the attention is still on the impending inspection and the efforts of ground staff to prepare the field for play.

With this being the last game of the Test series everyone is looking forward to how both sides conclude their campaign. India will look to make a big statement with the bat while England will look to extend their excellent bowling show. It is not only a battle between bat and ball but also against the volatile English weather.