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| @Shubhman Gill congratulates Siraj after taking a wicket vs England at The Oval 2025 |
📌 Morning Session: India all out, England make a blistering start:
India entered the Day 2 in a shaky position as the last over of Day 1 ended with 204/6.However, a sudden spell of collapse came after their lower order fell to pieces losing four of them in 20 runs to be bowled out at 224. Gus Atkinson came back to England and took 5 wickets for 33 in 21.4 overs, to clean up the Indian lower order, and provoking yet another instance of the Indian lower order being dominated by England as in the series itself
England retaliated by violence.Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley blazed into the attack in the before lunch session to register a scorching opening partnership.Their first wicket run of 92 runs was in just approximately 7 overs, the fastest ever English 50-partnership in Test cricket history. Duckett hit the unforgettable reverse hook six on his way to his 43; Crawley was not out on 52 as England got to 109/1 at Lunch
However, the match started to take a different turn in the afternoon.
🌀 Afternoon and evening sessions: Indian Bowling Fury Strikes Back:
At lunch, the Indian seamers fought back. The comeback was led by Mohammed Siraj who bowled brilliantly with figures of 4 for 86 and was well supported by Prasidh Krishna who picked up 4 wickets as well.The two were involved in an incredible collapse of England as England crumbled in 129/1 to a total of 247.England only managed a slender 23-run first-innings advantage after the early initiative had been lost
A total of 15 wickets fell on Day 2, the most taken in any one day in the series so far, beating the previous best of 14 at Lord's
This was another instance of drama in Test cricket: at one time England with the upper hand, and India taking the advantage.
England were crippled by the loss of Chris Woakes through a shoulder injury which compromised the bowling attack of the team
🧨 India Second Innings: Jaiswal Stands Tall
India started their second innings under pressure with 23 runs to make up. The star of the show was the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played a very aggressive and counter-attacking innings. He made his half-century off only 44 balls, and a flick off a short ball over the keeper to complete his half-century
He also happened to survive two expensive mis-fields by England, one by Harry Brook at slip, one by Zak Crawley, which proved key as he masterminded India into seeing off England imminent defeat after defeat
Jaiswal exhibited an unruffled temperament and his strokemaking skills saw India finish the first day with a 52 run lead as they ended at 75/2 in 18 overs after losing KL Rahul (7) and Sai Sudharsan (11) earlier.
Nightwatchman Akash Deep too made his mark, touching the boundary with his first ball, and helping India take the fifty run lead
💥Key Performers and Stats:
Brief Scores: India 224 & 75/2 (Jaiswal 51*) vs England 247 (Crawley 64, Brook 53; Prasidh 4-62, Siraj 4-86) by 52 runs.
💥Key Performers and Stats:
Player Contribution
Gus Atkinson 5/33- triggered Indian collapse in the morning
Mohammed Siraj 4/86--vital in plundering middle order of England
Prasidh Krishna 4 wickets his best in Tests (4/62), driver of the turnaround,
Yashasvi Jaiswal 51* off 44 balls-fast fifty, survived being dropped, set the tone in India reply
The India pace attack has been playing under pressure and even when Jasprit Bumrah is not in the fray, Siraj has emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far.Jaiswal is also making a name of himself as a big player at the top of the Test order.The batting collapse highlights wider issues: although they may have the Bazball aggression, they lack the resilience when it comes to putting up with pressure. They have been beset with repeated lower-order failures in this series
⚠️Emotion and Drama: Strains and Salutation
The emotional volatility did not go away on Day 2 either:
- at mid day, there was a standing ovation to celebrate the former England legend Graham Thorpe who had tragically committed suicide in 2024. The two teams and the crowd stopped to remember him- a moving moment of the day and a sore reminder that mental health advocacy is needed
- Ben Duckett and India's Sai Sudharsan had a tense exchange on the field soon after the dismissal of Sudharsan, which highlights the tension on the field.
- Akash Deep was criticized after celebrating after getting Duckett out. Deep then deliberately walked off with him after Duckett had roughed him up, put an arm around him--an extreme measure which the commentators and players declared to be "embarrassing"--and his teammates had to leap upon him and restrain him before he could be brought to reason
- Joe Root, in his turn, achieved a milestone of his own in a small way: his 29 on Day 2 took him past Sachin Tendulkar into the third position in terms of runs scored in home Tests, which is, of course, another remarkable feat in his already rich career
🔮Looking Ahead: India hold edge, but England Poised
- At stumps on Day 2, India are in a commanding lead of 52 runs which is a good position to be in given that they have reversed the momentum after initial setbacks
- In the event that India can win the 5th Test they will level the series at 2-2 avoiding defeat and saving face on a toughly contested tour-but they have to win to do so
- England, though the collapse was early, still have batting ahead of them and they can get back at Day 3 provided they get breakthroughs early. However, they are still pressurized, particularly as they have lost Woakes to injury and the momentum has shifted in favour of India.
📝 Summary: Momentum Swing Define Day 2
Day 2 was a miniature of this Test series: the balance of power shifted dramatically in the morning as England dominated to Indian control by close.It was a game of rapid development, in which Gus Atkinson's five wicket haul,Siraj and Krishna struck back emphatically, England went hard and fast 109/1 to be rolled over for 247, Jaiswal’s audacious fifty and India came close to winning the match, but could not, in memory of Thorp.Going into Day 3, India have an advantage in mind as well as in terms of scoreline, 52 ahead with intent to bat.England must score quickly but now the initiative is well and truly in the hands of the visitors.