Unreachable To Unplayable - How England Had Mixed Opening Day

At nan commencement of nan 40th complete - aft 2 agelong rainfall delays, pinch cloudy skies and a greenish transportation astatine his disposal - Josh Tongue had nan in-form Ravindra Jadeja successful his sights.

The first shot of nan complete flew past wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for 4 byes. The 2nd was short, wide and flashed for four. The 3rd was a beauty connected a bully length, nibbling distant from nan left-hander and taking nan edge.

From unreachable to unplayable, bizarre to brilliant.

Three balls that encapsulated England successful their entirety, arsenic they restricted India to 204-6 connected time 1 of nan 5th Test astatine The Oval.

Neither Tongue, nor India's batters, seemed to cognize what was coming next, arsenic nan sheepish giggle aft Jadeja's wicket suggested.

Four overs previously, a akin transportation accounted for Sai Sudharsan aft a gritty 107-ball 38, while he had started nan time pinch a nine-ball complete that conceded 11 runs from wides.

"Tongue looked for illustration nan bowler I would slightest for illustration to face," erstwhile England skipper Michael Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special.

"You'd person nary chance of lining him up - he was wide down nan limb side, wide down nan disconnected side, half-volley, bouncer and past each of a abrupt correct successful nan cleanable zone."

Tongue was not nan sole bowler blameworthy of inconsistency, though that was astir apt to beryllium expected pinch England's depleted banal of quicks.

Already without skipper Ben Stokes done a enarthrosis wounded and Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse for rotation reasons, precocious successful nan time their fortunes went from bad to worse.

Chris Woakes, 14 overs into his legs and playing his 5th consecutive Test, sprawled complete nan bound statement to effort and prevention a 4 and instantly clutched his enarthrosis successful agony and is improbable to play a portion successful nan remainder of nan match.

Gus Atkinson was awesome connected his return from a hamstring problem, pinch figures of 2-31 from his 19 overs, but England must beryllium wary of over-working him, pinch Stokes arsenic a lawsuit study.

Tongue and Jamie Overton - playing conscionable his 2nd Test, 3 years aft his first - offered small successful position of power and Joe Root and Jacob Bethell are part-time rotation options. It is adjacent to opportunity that stand-in skipper Ollie Pope has a headache.

Despite England's bad boy day, however, India were incapable to asseverate their power erstwhile they are successful request of a triumph to debar a bid defeat.

England bowled 20% of their deliveries down nan limb broadside and attacked nan stumps pinch conscionable 12% - nan second-lowest for immoderate innings successful nan series. But, astatine nan aforesaid time, they drew 24% mendacious shots from India, nan highest for time 1 passim this series.

But considering they were faced pinch tricky batting conditions, Tongue's erratic spell astatine 1 extremity and Atkinson's economical efforts astatine nan other, possibly it is of small astonishment that India's minds were somewhat scrambled.

"Tongue made India do things they don't want to do," erstwhile England batter Sir Alastair Cook told BBC Test Match Special.

"He has bowled a mates of absolute jaffas, but liquorice each sorts is what we utilized to telephone them erstwhile you're bowling for illustration that. When you look personification who's truthful inconsistent, you consciousness you've sewage to beryllium scoring.

"You deliberation there's plentifulness of opportunities to score, but because it could beryllium anyplace it really upsets your rhythm. It's that intelligence thing, knowing he's not bowling good truthful I should beryllium going aft him and he drags you into shots."

India's stubborn brace of Karun Nair and Washington Sundar led them retired of a pickle from 153-6, playing pinch assured power that nan remainder of nan apical bid had been lacking.

It was a funny time pinch neither broadside capable to prehend momentum for important periods, but location is simply a consciousness that England missed their opportunity considering nan conditions and India's loose dismissals.

"England, if they're being brutally honorable pinch themselves - connected a transportation that they've bowled connected coming pinch 8mm of writer - there's been capable seam activity and plaything that they would've fancied bowling India retired today," Vaughan added.

"They'll beryllium thinking, if 2 of america bowled for illustration Gus Atkinson past we'd person bowled them out."