Karun Nair made a potential career-saving half-century on a green top even as the other batters faltered to leave India on 204 for six at stumps on a rain-hit opening day of the series deciding fifth Test against England here on Thursday.
Coming back into the side after being dropped for the fourth Test, Nair (52 batting off 98 balls) delivered under pressure and in testing conditions with the ball seaming around through the day. He was batting alongside Washington Sundar (19 batting off 45) at close of play.
Rain halted proceedings twice but still 64 overs were accommodated through an extended evening session that lasted till 7.30 pm local time.
The visitors lost three wickets in the third session including the well-set Sai Sudharsan (38 off 108) and the in-form Ravindra Jadeja (9 off 13), as both could not do much about the balls from Josh Tongue that seamed away to take the outside edge.
Playing his first Test of the series, Gus Atkinson impressed with a couple of wickets. Barring Atkinson, Tongue and Jamie Overton were guilty of bowling too many loose balls.
Chris Woakes, the only pacer alongside Mohammed Siraj, to play all five Tests injured his shoulder while fielding towards close of play, forcing him off the field and rendering his participation in the game doubtful.
Nair, who played his first Test in eight years at Leeds, was finally able to convert a start and considering the conditions, his unbeaten fifty is worth its weight in gold. Nair completed his milestone with a couple off left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell in the final half hour of play.
A sublime cover drive off Tongue in the 38th over was among the seven fours that came from Nair's bat.
Earlier, India lost their captain Shubman Gill due to a suicidal run out as intermittent rain allowed only six overs in the second session.
When rain returned to The Oval to halt the proceedings, India were 85 for three with Sai Sudharsan (28 batting off 84) and Karun Nair (0 off 8) in the middle.
Gill (21 off 35) played a copybook cover drive off Jamie Overton to get going after the break.
Having done all the hard work, Gill went for a suicidal single off Gus Atkinson who picked up the ball on the follow through and darted it into the stumps, leaving the Indian captain way out of his crease.
However, during his stay in the middle Gill has surpassed Sunil Gavaskar to become the Indian captain with the most runs in a single Test series. Gill has so far accumulated 733 runs in the series with one more innings to go, while Gavaskar's previous record of 732 runs came against the West Indies in 1978-79.
Soon after, the rain returned resulting in the umpire taking the tea break at 4.10 pm local time.
In the morning session, India lost their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (2 off 9) and K L Rahul (14 off 40) on a green top but did well to reach lunch 72 for two.
On the greenest pitch of the series, the ball expectedly did seam around but it was not swinging profusely.
Atkinson struck in his second over by having Jaiswal trapped in front. The on-field umpire did not give it out but England reviewed successfully with the incoming ball going on to hit the stumps.
The other pacers Tongue and Overton struggled for control. Tongue conceded 12 runs in his opening over including 10 via two wides on either side of the stumps.
Rahul, who has been India's most solid batter over the course of the series, was the second wicket to fall. The short ball from Woakes did not do much but Rahul went for the cut when it was too close to his body, eventually playing on to his stumps.
Number three Sudharsan and Gill then batted till lunch which was taken early due to a sudden downpour at The Oval.
Sai collected two fours down the ground off Tongue and Woakes respectively.
India's leading run getter Gill punched Overton through the cover before using the short arm pull off the pacer for boundaries on either side of the wicket.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
