LONDON, The Oval – On the second day of the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval, India took control of the game, mostly because of a brilliant half-century from opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal (51). * India ended the day at 75/2, giving them a 52-run lead over England in a thrilling match that saw 15 wickets fall throughout the day, the highest in a single day of this series.
After a day full of dramatic swings in momentum and heated exchanges, including one between India’s Prasidh Krishna and England’s Joe Root, Jaiswal’s aggressive but calm batting kept India solid going into Day 3. With a strong upper-cut six, he got to fifty in just 44 balls, showing amazing determination even though the circumstances were tough.
Morning Mayhem and England’s Fast Start
India started Day 2 with the same score they had the night before: 204/6. But their first innings fell apart fast, and they only scored 20 runs before being bowled out for 224. Gus Atkinson of England was the best bowler, taking five wickets (5/33) with help from Josh Tongue (3/57).
The first two batsmen for England, Zak Crawley (64) and Ben Duckett (43), went on a “Bazball” rampage, scoring 92 runs in just 77 balls. This aggressive start, with England scoring around seven runs an over, almost took the game away from India. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri then criticized India’s bowling.
India Fights Back with a Fast Bowler Duo
But after lunch, India’s fast bowlers stormed back into the race. Mohammed Siraj (4/86) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62) bowled sharp spells that broke down the English batting order one by one. From a dominant 129/1, England fell to 247 all out, securing only a precarious 23-run first-innings lead. Harry Brook’s fighting fifty (53) was another important contribution for England.
The Greatness of Jaiswal’s Counter-Attack
Josh Tongue got KL Rahul (7) out early in India’s second innings, and Gus Atkinson had Sai Sudharsan (11) out right in front of him. But Jaiswal kept being aggressive and went after the bowlers, even after England fielders lost two catches. His daring batting swiftly erased England’s lead and put India in a strong position.
The light was diminishing, therefore the stumps were called. Akash Deep (4*) was with Jaiswal as nightwatchman. India will want to create a big lead on Day 3. The match is still very close, which means there will be another exciting day of Test cricket.