IND vs ENG 5th Test 1st day review
The fifth and the last test of the India tour of England 2025 at the Oval started off with India losing the 15th consecutive toss in their history and England winning the toss and opting to bowl first on the green tinted pitch. What lies ahead of the series-defining is yet to be seen, let’s have a look at the IND vs ENG 5th test 1st day review.
Nair saves India on a rain-hit day
Karun Nair who was underperforming in the last 3 tests of the England tour was sidelined for the fourth test at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester. He was given his flowers in the final test of the tour, after India’s top order had faltered and batters even failed to cross 50+ scores. Nair on the other hand, had cemented his spot on the pitch and went on to score a 52* in 98 balls at a strike rate of 53.06.
While he is still on the pitch, and India are in a vital situation with 204/6 at 64 overs, India will need to reach a target of more than 350+ runs to stay in contention to level the series.
England riding the wave
England who played the match without their skipper Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, their stand-in captain after winning the toss took the best decision possible in accordance to the pitch conditions. Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, have been performing well with 2 wickets each, they have tumbled India’s top-order and look to get back their lost chances to win the Anderson-Tendulkar Series 2025.
Apart from the team performances of India and England, rain is an important factor which’ll play a major role on the result of the match. If we can have rain-free sessions, we are destined to watch a classic red-ball test which will be a joy to watch.
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