India 75-2 (Jaiswal 51*) & 224 (Nair 57 | Atkinson 5-33) lead England 247 (Crawley 64 | Krishna 4-62) lead by 52 runs with eight wickets remaining
THE OVAL — As dress rehearsals for this winter’s Ashes series in Australia go, England’s performance on the second day of this final Test against India was hardly encouraging.
Having hustled out their opponents for 224 in their first innings inside the first half-hour of the day, the hosts assumed complete control when they reached 129 for 1 in reply.
However, a collapse of 8 for 118 that restricted England’s lead to 23 and then a harrowing evening session with the ball that included three dropped catches and a missed run-out saw India establish a position where they should now be favourites to sign off from this memorable summer with a win and a 2-2 series draw.
England are clearly struggling having lost captain Ben Stokes to injury before the match and then gone a man down when Chris Woakes, their most experienced seamer, dislocated a shoulder on the first day.
Big chance for England as Dawson drops Jaiswal pic.twitter.com/EvV8dThrPd
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2025But they really didn’t help themselves either on this second day.
The injury to Woakes is likely to require surgery and rule him out of the Ashes.
It is unfortunate but anyone who has watched England’s Ashes tours since their last victory in 2010-11 knows misfortune and calamity have stalked England around Australia mercilessly during those three desperate, winless campaigns.
Covid bubbles four years ago, players retiring mid-tour as Graeme Swann did in 2013-14 and Jonny Bairstow being falsely accused of headbutting an opponent in 2017-18 are just three examples.
Misfortune comes with the territory Down Under. But England need to sharpen up and be more switched on than they were here if they are to stand any chance this winter.
square CRICKET England's mixed bag of bowlers are in big trouble against India
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The number one rule for any team who want to win Test matches in that part of the world is that they must hold their catches.
The three that went down in the first 18 overs of India’s second innings could partly be explained by fatigue at the end of a long, gruelling series.
Yet England look to have blown a chance to get back into this game, with Yashasvi Jaiswal spared on 20 by Harry Brook at second slip, on 40 again by substitute fielder Liam Dawson at fine leg, and Zak Crawley, at third slip, sparing Sai Sudharsan on seven shortly before the close.
Gus Atkinson, who has been England’s best bowler in this match by a country mile, at least trapped Sudharsan lbw to leave India 75 for 2 at stumps, a lead of 52.
But the profligacy by the hosts wasn’t just restricted to their fielding efforts.
On a green-tinged pitch that many believe will be similar to the juiced-up decks that have become a feature of recent Australian summers, England’s batting effort also wasn’t good enough.
Having got off to a flying start thanks to openers Crawley and Ben Duckett, a stunning collapse let India back into the game.
In all, England’s first innings lasted just four hours and 13 minutes.
The conditions were difficult, with the ball swinging prodigiously and India’s pumped-up attack cranking up the pressure with plenty of sledging that again saw tempers spill over.
Akash Deep’s send-off of Duckett was particularly poor, the bowler having to be dragged away by teammates after he mockingly put his arm around the opener to exchange a few choice words as he walked off.
Sai Sudharsan gone for 11! pic.twitter.com/JQsdHlEA7w
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2025Joe Root also lost his cool after verbals from Prasidh Krishna in what looked like a deliberate tactic from India to unsettle England’s all-time leading runscorer.
This, though, will be nothing compared to what this England team will be subjected to in Australia against a seam attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood that is arguably the greatest in their country’s history.
Spicy pitches, even spicier verbals and the pressure cranked up? Get used to it boys, it threatens to be the theme of the winter.
If this really is a window into England’s Ashes future, the partnership between Duckett and Crawley, who at one point looked on to threaten Gilbert Jessop’s 76-ball record for the fastest England Test century, was encouraging.
So too was the innings of Brook, who reached his 21st 50-plus score in just his 30th Test match before he was eventually last man out to the excellent Mohammed Siraj.
Brook’s talent is undeniable but he will also have to brace himself for Aussie ire given his reputation for being one of this team’s biggest giver of on-field verbals – something that was clearly noted Down Under in their hideous overreaction to the end of the fourth Test of this series in Manchester last Sunday.
The loose shot by Jamie Smith just six minutes before tea that saw the wicketkeeper-batter caught at second slip for eight off Krishna was awful when England were trailing by nine.
But the lbw dismissals of stand-in captain Ollie Pope, Root and Jacob Bethell, all to defensive shots, may be more worrying for the Bazball brains trust given this team’s mentality in situations such as this is that attack is the best form of defence.
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