On a riveting second day at The Oval, India clawed back into the contest with a spirited fightback led by Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, before Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 51 gave the visitors a slender but valuable 52-run lead in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
After England built a solid 109/1 by lunch and erased India’s 23-run first-innings advantage, it seemed the hosts would seize control. But a post-lunch resurgence saw India’s pacers run through the rest of the batting order, bowling England out for 247 in just 51.2 overs. India then reached 75/2 at stumps in their second innings, with Jaiswal riding his luck and showcasing fluency under pressure.
Lunch Break Reset: “What’s happened is happened”
It was a different India that walked out after the interval. England’s opening stand had raised alarms, but it only took a quiet huddle to ignite a turnaround.
We knew what happened before lunch. The three fast bowlers got together in a corner and said—‘what's happened is happened'. We trust each other. Just stick to the right lengths, right lines, and show some body language. That made a big difference.
From that moment on, India looked sharper. Siraj uprooted Joe Root’s off stump with a delivery that stayed low, before castling debutant Jacob Bethell in similar fashion. Prasidh, who had earlier dismissed Zak Crawley, returned to clean up the tail with short-pitched hostility and relentless accuracy.
I think they are playing a lot of shots and as a bowling unit, it's very hard for us to keep pulling the same area knowing they're going to do all kinds of things and try to score runs.
“But that's the challenge in itself. If you can still be there and know what your lengths and lines are and keep rolling the same good balls again and again, I think it's a matter of time.”
Crawley, Brook Sparkle Briefly Before Collapse
Zak Crawley (64) and Harry Brook (53) had earlier counter-attacked to put England in front. Crawley peppered the square boundaries, while Brook flicked and drove with flair, even launching Siraj into the stands in a manner reminiscent of Rishabh Pant.
But both fell at crucial junctures. Crawley miscued a pull off Prasidh and Brook lost his stumps to a sharp in-ducker from Siraj. England’s innings unravelled swiftly thereafter, not helped by Chris Woakes’ absence due to a shoulder niggle.
Jaiswal Rides Fortune, Keeps India Steady
India’s second innings began with intent, and once again, it was Jaiswal leading the way. The left-hander punished anything short or wide, cracking five fours and two sixes in his 51* off 44 balls. He was given two lifelines—dropped on 20 and 40—but capitalised on them with authority.
He brought up his 13th Test fifty in style, upper-cutting Josh Tongue for six to lift India past 70. The young opener, who has been a revelation all series, showed remarkable poise even as KL Rahul edged one to Root and B Sai Sudharsan fell lbw to a cleverly disguised wobble seam delivery from Atkinson.
Jaiswal, alongside nightwatchman Akash Deep, saw off the final overs of the day, ensuring India maintained control heading into Day Three.
Series on a Knife-Edge
With the match tightly poised and momentum shifting back and forth, even England’s camp acknowledged the delicately balanced nature of the contest.
“The match is pretty evenly poised, I would guess, at the moment,” said England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick after play.
Plenty of wickets obviously in the course of the day, but the game is moving forward pretty quickly and who knows, what tomorrow will bring. I think you'll see the pitch probably will continue to be lively and see more movement as the day goes on, and who knows — whoever bowls well or whoever bats well from this stage will come out on top. But I think it's evenly matched at the moment.
Both sides will return on Day Three knowing a single strong session could tilt the final Test. For India, Jaiswal’s form provides hope, while England must regroup with the ball and try to capitalise on a lively pitch and any early breakthroughs.
Brief Scores: India: 224 & 75/2 in 18 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 51*; Josh Tongue 1-25) England: 247 in 51.2 overs (Zak Crawley 64, Harry Brook 53; Prasidh Krishna 4-62, Mohammed Siraj 4-86) India lead by 52 runs.
