Dropped catches hand India upper hand in decisive Oval Test
England’s fielding lapses on day two of the fifth Test at The Oval allowed India to seize momentum, leading by 52 runs at stumps.
Fifth Rothesay Test, The Oval (Day 2 of 5)
England 247 (Crawley 64, Brook 53; Krishna 4-62, Siraj 4-86)
India 224 (Nair 57) & 75/2 (Jaiswal 51*) — lead by 52
England’s sluggish fielding on the second day of the final Test allowed India to seize momentum at The Oval. Two dropped catches on Yashasvi Jaiswal, coupled with another reprieve for Sai Sudharsan, let India rebuild after being bowled out for 224.
Top-order resurgence
Earlier, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett set the tone with a swift opening stand of 92 in under 13 overs, only for India to swing back thanks to Mohammed Siraj’s four wickets. Harry Brook’s fighting 53 briefly edged England ahead, but the hosts’ lower-order collapse ended their brief lead.
Fielding lapses prove costly
Gus Atkinson’s 5-33 sparked England’s morning dominance, yet the visitors’ sloppy catches late in the day gave Jaiswal the platform to reach a composed half-century. Sai Sudharsan capitalised on the lifelines before succumbing to lbw.
Series on the line
England, one win away from a series victory, face an uphill battle after surrendering the advantage. India’s seamers, led by Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, have outpaced the home attack in challenging conditions.
England’s fielding errors late on day two shifted control firmly to India, putting the hosts under enormous pressure to avoid a 2-2 series draw.
This topic was reported by BBC Sport.
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