5th Test: Early tea break taken after rain stops play again, India at 85/3 in 29 overs

London, July 31 (IANS) An early tea break was called on the first day of the fifth Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at The Oval after the rain stopped play yet again. At the time of interruption, India are at 85/3 in 29 overs.

Only six overs of play were managed, and in that time, India lost skipper Shubman Gill to a needless run-out. The post-lunch session finally began after a rain delay of over two hours, and Gill found himself struggling against outswing deliveries.

Gill, the leading run-getter of the ongoing series, seemed to have got some stability when a brilliant, punchy cover drive got him a boundary off Jamie Overton. But on the second ball of the 28th over, Gill had a major brain fade when he set off for a non-existent quick single, before slipping a little bit.

Gus Atkinson, on his follow-through, gathered the ball quickly and nailed a direct hit at stumps on the striker’s end to dismiss Gill for 21. It was a wonderful spell from Atkinson, who pitched the ball up and kept a tight line around off stump on a green pitch offering both seam and swing.

While B. Sai Sudharsan continued to show good temperament to be unbeaten on 26 off 84 balls, Karun Nair survived a little examination before rain forced him and everyone off the field. Though Nair, brought back into the playing eleven in place of Shardul Thakur, was yet to get off the mark in the eight balls he faced, the right-handed batter has to stay put on a damp pitch for a long time to keep his Test career alive.

Brief scores:

India 85/3 in 29 overs (B. Sai Sudharsan 28 not out, Shubman Gill 21; Gus Atkinson 1-13, Chris Woakes 1-28) against England

--IANS

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