Chris Woakes staggers off in agony, the latest victim of a brutal series

Until 7pm it looked like Gus Atkinson had timed his return to Test cricket to perfection.

A green top on his home ground, coupled with low hanging cloud on a muggy day, must have left him wondering why so much fuss had been made about the back-breaking pitches in this series.

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But it changed when Chris Woakes staggered off the field in agony having become the the latest victim of a brutal summer. This was his fifth Test in a row and, while it cannot be said for certain, fatigue may have played a part in his injury.

His suspected dislocated shoulder means England are almost certainly a man down, three days after Ben Stokes ridiculed the idea of using substitutes in Test cricket for clear and obvious injuries.

It also heaped a huge burden on a patched-up attack of Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue, each with barely any overs behind them recently, on a pitch that will only improve for batting.

The seventh-wicket stand of 51 between Karun Nair and Washington Sundar lifted India after lost a crucial toss – their fifth in a row – and then had their three most effective batsmen fail.

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They closed on a creditable 204 for six, with Nair fighting for his career on 52, and last week’s century-maker – and England wind-up merchant – Sundar on 19. Their team are in with a chance of posting a workable first-innings total.

With so little time between matches, and a patchy county schedule, England had underdone bowlers and it showed. They were all over the place, mixing up the odd peach with some dross as 16 runs were given away in wides and 30 extras conceded in total as England failed to make the most of a pitch they have been waiting for all summer.

They turned to Atkinson (30 overs in a second-team game since May) and Jamie Overton (40 first-class overs all season). Josh Tongue had bowled only 16 overs in one innings since he was rotated out of the team after the second Test four weeks ago. What happened was hardly a surprise.

Atkinson was the exception. He slotted back into Test cricket with ease despite bowling in only second-team cricket at New Malden cricket club last week. He turned around what had so far been a lost summer for the breakout star of world cricket in 2024. His two for 31 from 19 overs, capped by an athletic run-out of Shubman Gill in his follow through, was hugely encouraging.

It settled concerns that last year may have flattered Atkinson and reconfirmed his status as a first choice for the Ashes series.

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Atkinson was never going to be able to repeat his stellar 2024. Who could follow a hundred and 10-for at Lord’s, hat-trick in Wellington and 53 wickets in a first year of Test cricket?

But with his pace dropping towards the end of last year in New Zealand and an iffy performance in the one-off Zimbabwe Test in May, there was a niggling concern that Atkinson may have flattered a little.

But he can rely on a repeatable, efficient action with little that can go wrong. Couple that with the confidence from what he achieved last year, and it adds up to a seasoned cricketer. He barely bowled a bad ball in three spells, and was the only really to cope with the wet conditions underfoot that bothered the rest.

Tongue conceded 11 wides in his first over and was all over the place at times, spraying balls down the leg side between keeper and leg slip. Both Tongue and Overton struggled with the wet run-ups at the Vauxhall End and bowled too short.

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Overton, a hit-the-pitch-hard quick bowler, started at 79mph but he did improve, hitting the mid 80s, and had a few hopping around once he started to click and the rustiness lifted.

Tongue produced two absolute pearlers to remove Sai Sudharsan from around the wicket caught behind, and another beauty to knock over Ravindra Jadeja.

Woakes has never played an entire five-Test series before and had just three days’ rest after bowling 46 overs at Old Trafford, the third-highest workload of his career. This has not been a vintage summer for him either, averaging 52.18 with the ball, 10.66 with the bat.

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Brendon McCullum encourages all his players to chase every ball to the boundary. However, for a tired, heavy-legged seam bowler, diving can be a risky business, and it turned disastrous when he chased a straight drive from Nair off Overton down to long off as the close of day one loomed.

A Test match already shorn of Stokes, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant had lost another player. Two exhausted teams, shafted by the Hundred squeezing the schedule, made eight changes between them for the fifth Test.

Even in-form players made weary mistakes. KL Rahul played on for only his second score below 39 in the series after dominating for four Tests.

Gill was run out trying to steal a single off Atkinson just when he looked to be settling in again. Gill took his series tally to 743 runs when he pushed Atkinson into the off side and set off for a run that was never there. Atkinson picked up, steadied himself and threw the stumps down.

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It felt like a pivotal moment of the day and came at a time when England were struggling for a breakthrough. A heavy downpour on the stroke of lunch delayed play for nearly two hours and the stop-start nature of the cricket sapped the energy of the crowd. It all felt a little flat.

Sudharsan rebuilt for India but is a timid No 3, frightened of incurring the coach’s wrath. He ground out 38 from 36 overs before the shock of Tongue landing one in the right place took him by surprise.

Tongue is better than this performance. His figures – two for 47 – barely tell the story. He looked like a bowler oiling his action and trying to remind himself where to pitch the ball. Jofra Archer made a stunning return to Test cricket with barely any overs behind him, confirming this England set-up’s belief that bowlers can turn it on.

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But Archer is like Stokes: a natural talent who can flick the switch. Mere mortals like Tongue and Overton need time but sadly that is a commodity the current game of cricket does not allow.

England a man down as Woakes suffers suspected dislocation

England face the prospect of playing the remainder of the fifth Test against India effectively with 10 men after Chris Woakes suffered a suspected shoulder dislocation.

With around 30 minutes remaining in the day, Woakes chased the ball to the boundary from his position at mid-off. He dived to keep the ball in play on a greasy outfield, but landed awkwardly and could not get up unaided. He received considerable medical attention before walking across the ground.

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He is expected to have a scan overnight. It is believed he has dislocated his shoulder, an injury that would end his involvement in the match and leave in major doubt any prospect he had of touring Australia for the Ashes this winter.

“I don’t know too much about it but it doesn’t look great,” said Atkinson. “It’s a big shame, obviously being the last game of the series. It’s a shame when anyone gets injured. I’m hoping it’s not too bad and whatever it is, he’ll get full support from everyone. I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game.”

Atkinson said he was ready to shoulder an increased workload for the remainder of the game, despite only just being back from a hamstring injury himself.

“Definitely [ready for increased workload],” he said. “I feel fresh, I feel good. I’ve only got this one game to play so I can push the limits a bit.

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“Hopefully the batters can nestle in and give us time off so we can get refreshed and be ready to fire in the second innings.”

07:55 PM BST

Sir Geoffrey on missed opportunities

07:35 PM BST

Verdict on day one

Enthralling day at the Oval, even if the quality was not the best we’ve seen. I feel like the Woakes injury – if as bad as feared – makes that India’s day, given the potential that he will play no further part in the game. India have done pretty well not to be bowled out, and England just bowled too many four balls.

07:34 PM BST

CLOSE: IND 204/6

India have done well in trying conditions but may have done even better had Shubman Gill not run himself out. Atkinson has been magnificent, we’ve seen a handful of jaffas and a shedload of pies from the other three seamers. England are still pretty well placed but a bowler down and really should have bowled India out under dark skies and on a green, moist pitch.

07:31 PM BST

CLOSE – OVER 64: IND 204/6 (Nair 52 Washington 19)

Bethell does Washington with one from over the wicket angled across the left-hander and skidding through to beat the edge as he pushed forward. He’s keen to get off strike but Nair wisely sends him back and play concludes with a maiden.

07:29 PM BST

OVER 63: IND 204/6 (Nair 52 Washington 19)

“England are very much in the Test but they have had an off day,” says Stuart Broad. Nair defends five from Atkinson after Washington burgled a single to point with a soft-handed steer to take the partnership to 51.

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One over to come from Bethell.

The balance of power in the Test has really shifted in the past 40 minutes or so: the combination of Chris Woakes’s injury and this seventh wicket stand. That’s an excellent half-century from Karun Nair, who is now enjoying the best batting conditions of the day.

07:26 PM BST

Intriguing four days in store

You can see England scoring 500 and, without Chris Woakes to bowl, India scoring 400 or so in their second innings. That would leave England having to decide whether to chase a target in the fourth innings, or block out for a draw to retain their 2-1 lead. A fascinating denouement for this series.

07:24 PM BST

OVER 62: IND 203/6 (Nair 52 Washington 18)

Karun Nair brings up his first Test half-century since that triple hundred eight years ago with a clip off his toes for two. A tenacious and skilful knock on a zesty pitch. Well played. Bethell is targeting leg stump with a leg slip lurking but Nair isn’t closing his wrist that much and turns a single through square leg. Washington does the same, a mirror of Nair’s stroke.

07:20 PM BST

OVER 61: IND 199/6 (Nair 49 Washington 17)

Atkinson switches to the Vauxhall End for the first time for a last dart and fashions a run-out chance when Nair pushes the ball to mid-on and hares through. Tongue fumbles the pick-up and Atkinson throws his head back in frustration, blowing out his cheeks.

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Jacob Bethell is thrown the ball for his first Test spell at home, having taken three wickets in New Zealand last December.

07:17 PM BST

OVER 60: IND 197/6 (Nair 48 Washington 16)

Looking very gloomy out there now but Nair could see a juicy full bunger in any or no light, slapping it for four through cover. Sundar started the over with a boundary too, whisking it off his pads when Tongue erred too straight.

07:13 PM BST

OVER 59: IND 188/6 (Nair 44 Washington 11)

When Overton overpitches Sundar drills him for three through the covers, a ball that would have gone for four on a dry day in Kennington. To continue as he has started Overton then finds a good length that confounds Nair with some away movement and which he almost spoons back to the bowler, sending it just far enough to his left to be safe.

07:09 PM BST

OVER 58: IND 184/6 (Nair 43 Washington 8)

Tongue racks up his third haphazard maiden which includes another jewel that angles in to Sunday’s centurion Washington then nibbles away off the pitch to whoosh past the edge.

07:05 PM BST

Man down

That injury has happened right in front of us. It looked innocuous enough, and on the replays there are no horror moments. But it’s a sickener for Chris Woakes, who is not a man to make a fuss, and for England. You’d think they will play the remainder of this game a man down.

07:02 PM BST

OVER 57: IND 184/6 (Nair 43 Washington 8)

There is an example of what Scyld’s talking about when Overton zips one outside Nair’s off-stump that climbs with good carry.

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Overton overpitches the next delivery and Nair creams a dive down the ground. Woakes chases it, hooks it back from the rope with his right hand, puts out his left arm to break his fall and seemingly dislocates his left shoulder. Poor lad. he’s in agony. The physio fashions a sling out of his sleeveless jumper.

Nair ran three but the damage is more severe to Woakes, England’s attack-leader.

06:56 PM BST

OVER 56: IND 179/6 (Nair 40 Washington 6)

Washington’s surgeon’s hands allow him to play the ball down off the edge in front of the slips when tempted into pushing at a fuller one from Tongue. A midwicket flick brings him a single then Nair does the same but for double the return between mid-on and midwicket.

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It’s dark enough for the floodlights to have taken over now. Will the umpires take a reading soon?

The extra grass on this pitch – 8cm compared to 5cm at Lord’s – hasn’t promoted seam movement but it has allowed the ball to carry through to England’s keeper and slips. There have been several pitches in this series where the edges haven’t carried.

At the start I think India would have settled for anything over 260 but England’s bowling has been so wayward that India will think they should have made more – Gus Atkinson the exception, straight and nippy.

06:51 PM BST

OVER 55: IND 176/6 (Nair 38 Washington 5)

Overton lathers a pie in gravy, a legside half-volley to Karun Nair who whisks it for four behind square. Overton, who is wearing a black vest under his shirt, follows the filth with a beauty that starts on off-stump and nips away, screeching past the edge as Nair’s hands instinctively flinch towards the ball.

06:48 PM BST

OVER 54: IND 170/6 (Nair 33 Washington 4)

Tongue replaces Atkinson from the Pavilion End and hoops it around, enticing a big waft from Nair outside off with one that kept swinging towards first slip. The right-hander eventually clips a single off his pads. Will England be happy with their day’s work? The result has eclipsed a capricious performance but, as Ravi Shastri says, it is a ‘bowl them out’ day and they have only six wickets so far.

06:43 PM BST

OVER 53: IND 169/6 (Nair 32 Washington 4)

Nair tucks the wayward Overton off his hip for a single. Michael Atherton says there is plenty to like about Overton, the hard, heavy length which he demonstrates with a couple of good nuts that beat both the right-handed Nair outside off and the left-handed Washington, both of whom could not resist having a push at them. Atherton adds that he will need to find more consistency and guile to become a regular.

06:40 PM BST

OVER 52: IND 168/6 (Nair 31 Washington 4)

Atkinson comes round the wicket to Washington for the first six deliveries (one of them a no-ball that was tickled off his pads for four) but comes back over when the left-hander shoulders arms to a couple outside off. The final ball is the inswinger, forcing Washington to use his bat to defend.

06:34 PM BST

OVER 51: IND 163/6 (Nair 31 Washington 0)

Nair drives Overton for two through point, whips four off his pads and then squits four more through gully off a thick outside edge. There’s a hold-up in play when a woman dressed in black tries to go through a staff door near the sightscreen and Nair halst play to let her punch in the numbers. She almost did for him, as delays often do, when he is pinned next ball but the outswinger that nipped back did too much. Joe Root was the loudest advocate for sending it upstairs. It didn’t have a huge amount to recommend it.

06:31 PM BST

NOT OUT

Impact was umpire’s call but it was missing leg stump. England lose a review.

06:30 PM BST

ENG review

Nair lbw b Overton Clipping leg or umpire’s call?

06:26 PM BST

OVER 50: IND 153/6 (Nair 21 Washington 0)

Atkinson has been England’s best and most consistent bowler today and Brook their best slip for a year. Jurel was caught between a back-foot punch and a cut, not expecting the ball to get quiet so big on him and it came off the edge up by the maker’s name to fly to Brook’s right at throat level.

Terrific Test return from Gus Atkinson so far. Given that he only played a club game and a second eleven game to ready himself for the Test, and didn’t do particularly well in either, this has been a sterling effort. He bowls especially well to left-handers, so won’t be unhappy to see Washington Sundar walk out, as brilliantly as Washington batted at Old Trafford.

06:21 PM BST

Wicket!

Jurel c Brook b Atkinson 19 His reprieve lasts a ball. Done by the bounce, he slices to second slip playing an expansive shot. It flew at Brook who clung on with asbestos hands. FOW 153/6

06:20 PM BST

Not out

Didn’t nip back enough.

06:20 PM BST

India review

Jurel lbw b Atkinson No shot but looked high.

06:19 PM BST

OVER 49: IND 153/5 (Nair 21 Jurel 19)

Overton replaces Woakes from the Vauxhall End and, like he did in his first spells and Woakes in his second from that end, starts with some dross, short and wide outside off. Jurel has a flash at it and it flies over the slips for four.

06:12 PM BST

OVER 48: IND 148/5 (Nair 21 Jurel 14)

Nair drives Atkinson’s outswinger down to the cover sweeper for three but the Surrey bowler then tries the nip-backer next ball to Jurel and pins him above the knee roll. He appeals, England discuss a review over height but before they come to a decision umpire Ahsan Raza calls no-ball. Doesn’t matter as it would have been umpire’s call had it been legitimate so India cannpt complain the umpire saved England from burning a review.

One of the old cliches about the Oval is the value for shots provided by the square, because it runs all the way across the outfield. Not today, because of the rain. A couple have really held up.

Time for drinks under a blue sky.

06:08 PM BST

OVER 47: IND 143/5 (Nair 18 Jurel 13)

Woakes starts by angling one across the right-handed Jurel and he happily glances it behind square for four, accepting the gift horse on its merits, not looking at its teeth. Woakes pays penance with four testing, probing deliveries that Jurel leaves or defends until he gives him the angle to whisk a two off his pads at the end of the over.

06:02 PM BST

OVER 46: IND 137/5 (Nair 18 Jurel 7)

Jurel twice works Atkinson for singles into the onside infield and Nair drives the Surrey quick for a single to cover.

05:58 PM BST

OVER 45: IND 134/5 (Nair 17 Jurel 5)

Nair works a single off his pads to midwicket and again has to hit the turbo boost when the fielder is quicker on to the ball than he first anticipated. Jurel has to jab down on a back of a length delivery from Woakes that skids through low. Good adjustment. Fast hands.

05:54 PM BST

OVER 44: IND 132/5 (Nair 16 Jurel 4)

Atkinson replaces Tongue and clocks up his sixth maiden of mainly outswingers. Stuart Broad, on commentary, notes that he is an excellent bowler but will be striving for more variety, whether that is point of delivery on the crease or using wobble-seam etc to stop batsmen predicting the next delivery.

05:50 PM BST

OVER 43: IND 132/5 (Nair 16 Jurel 4)

Jurel calls Nair through for a sharp single to Bethell at backward point, making his hamstrings scream to get home in time as Bethell had to switch hands to throw. That nip-backer Woakes has been setting Nair up for duly comes and Nair streakily Harrow drives it off a thick inside edge, the ball bounces down and vaults over the bails before scuttling down for four to fine leg.

05:46 PM BST

Meanwhile in the County Championship

Significant result in the County Championship. Surrey have beaten Durham by five wickets, which means they will go into September in pole position for the title come September. Their closest rivals, Notts and Somerset, look like they are playing out a very high-scoring draw at Trent Bridge. Durham, meanwhile, are in a proper relegation scrap.

You can check the scorecards here.

05:45 PM BST

OVER 42: IND 125/5 (Nair 12 Jurel 1)

Smart, diving stop at backward point by Bethell saves three when he dives to parry Jurel’s crashing square drive. Two balls before Tongue had reverted to Mr Hyde by spearing a wide down the legside. The filth and the finery.

05:40 PM BST

OVER 41: IND 123/5 (Nair 12 Jurel 0)

Good probing over from Woakes who tests Nair with the outswinger, hitting the proud seam perfectly upright, the ball arcing and nipping away towards the slips. All six go away, perhaps setting him up for the nip-backer in his next over.

05:34 PM BST

OVER 40: IND 123/5 (Nair 12 Jurel 0)

Tongue sprays one across Jadeja from round the wicket, giving the keeper no chance though it costs Smith four byes, then bangs ina  woolly bouncer that Jadeja uppercuts for four over the slips. After such dross he again strikes gold with the perfect, unplayable delivery to a left-hander.

05:31 PM BST

Wicket!

Jadeja c Smith b Tongue 9 Good Lord! He’s done it again. Pie follows pie and then he pulls out a jaffa that angles in to the left-hander, nibbles, climbs, scratches the edge and the keeper snaffles the catch. FOW 123/5

05:29 PM BST

OVER 39: IND 115/4 (Nair 12 Jadeja 5)

Woakes, like Tongue, begins with one that he sprays across Jadeja’s bows and Smith has to take several steps to collect. Tightening his line he starts to probe Jadeja’s defence until Pope’s misfield at short cover off a solid block yields three when the ball bounces through his legs. Woakes, so self-effacing normally, allows himself a flicker of disdain and complaint for his captain.

05:26 PM BST

Tongue’s rag bag

Josh Tongue must be a bit of a nightmare to face on a day like this. He’s served up some genuine filth but, as Sai discovered, has a beauty in him. You just don’t know what you are going to get from him.

05:25 PM BST

OVER 38: IND 112/4 (Nair 12 Jadeja 2)

Tongue errs on the full side when seeking swing and Nair first creams the outswinger through the covers for four then whisks the inswinger off his toes for another. Such elegance even if the balls were asking to be hit. Woakes will replace Overton at the Vauxhall End. He, too, was poor from that end this morning but improved when he switched.  

05:21 PM BST

OVER 37: IND 104/4 (Nair 4 Jadeja 2)

Out goes the leg slip they had for Sudharsan to plug the gap at fourth slip for the similarly left-handed Jadeja who works a single off Overton into the legside off his pads, Nair jogs a leg-bye after wearinga  short one on the body giving Jadeja to showcase that almost immaculate defence we saw at Lord’s and Old Trafford.

05:16 PM BST

OVER 36: IND 102/4 (Nair 4 Jadeja 1)

Yikes! Tongue starts by spraying one down the legside, owing Smith a debt of gratitude for saving four byes. He over-corrects by bowling two wide off off-stump, one of which Nair reaches with the cue-end to toe a single through cover. And then he finds a bit of magic to dismiss the well-set Sudharsan. A real conundrum of a bowler.

05:12 PM BST

Wicket!

Sudharsan c Smith b Tongue 38 Like Mitchell Johnson he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right but is also capable of pulling an absolute peach out of the bag and does so here with an outswinger that shapes in to middle and off and then nips away to take the edge. FOW 101/4

05:11 PM BST

OVER 35: IND 100/3 (Sudharsan 38 Nair 3)

There’s a big gap between third slip and gully to accommodate a leg slip. Sudharsan plays one from Overton late, opening the face, and the ball flies through the gap for four. As if conscious of the risk he had taken and his desire to push on after good starts in his previous two Tests of the series, he studiously blocks the rest of the over.

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Josh Tongue, who bowled waywardly from the Vauxhall End this morning, will replace Atkinson from the Pavilion End.

05:07 PM BST

OVER 34: IND 96/3 (Sudharsan 34 Nair 3)

Maiden from Atkinson to Nair, bowling wicket to wicket, pitter-pattering up to the crease, the ball wobbling and Nair covering movement with angled-bat defence.

05:03 PM BST

OVER 33: IND 96/3 (Sudharsan 34 Nair 3)

Nair calls Sudharsan through for a quick single, playing tip and run to cover and then the left-hander plays the shot of the day, again boarding his step-ladder to time the pants off a scything cut stroke to smear Overton’s shorter ball for four.

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Overton is a grafter, every ball an effort ball, but there are too many balls on a greenish pitch that Sudharsan can easily leave.

04:59 PM BST

OVER 32: IND 91/3 (Sudharsan 30 Nair 2)

A pigeon takes its life in its hands as it flies across Sudharsan’s eyeline, just dodging Atkinson’s yorker which the left-hander, unfazed, chisels out. Earlier he had gone up en pointe to slice two down to third man and just failed to get bat on the big inswinger to flick it for four. Good take by Smith down the legside.

Here’s a fine photograph of the run-out, showing how quick Atkinson was to snare the ball and strand Gill:

04:54 PM BST

OVER 31: IND 89/3 (Sudharsan 28 Nair 2)

Nair flicks an Overton middle and leg half-volley through midwicket to get off the mark. Overton’s natural length jars the splice but when he goes full he can be floaty. Reverting to his best length allows him to beat the bat with one that nips away from Nair but then he pushes the last one too full again and Nair clips it for another two through square leg to double his score. Oh no he doesn’t. The umpire signals leg-byes.

04:48 PM BST

OVER 30: IND 85/3 (Sudharsan 28 Nair 0)

Late afternoon sunshine at last as Gus Atkinson comes in from the Pavilion End, round the wicket to Sudharsan. Naggingly full and straight, some shape into the batsman to encourage the leg slip fielder. The left-hander defends a couple solidly and leaves a couple, picking the line he is prepared to defend and sticking to it. The fifth ball beats the inside edge to pin Sudharsan on the knee with one that would have missed leg stump, the ball going on off a scrambled seam. He appeals without conviction and Jamie Smith confirms that it was always going down.

04:37 PM BST

Play resumes in eight minutes

If no further rain, play resumes at 4.45pm. One long session until 7.30pm.

04:14 PM BST

Movement in the middle

The covers actually coming off here!

Worth noting that while there are four Surrey players in the England team, there’s one batting for India too. Sai Sudharsan has not scored quickly today, but he’s batted smartly and bravely when wickets could have fallen in a hurry. He’s had a couple of stints in the brown cap over the last few years.

04:08 PM BST

From the Oval

Will reports that tea will be from 4.10 to 4.30 but they won’t get back on at 4.30 because it’s still too wet.

04:04 PM BST

Tea will be brought forward to 4.10pm

With a view to putting on a three-hour session afterwards.

04:03 PM BST

Other considerations

Nervous times for Surrey. There have only been 29 overs bowled today. Unless that number ticks over to 30, then all fans will get a 50 per cent refund.

03:33 PM BST

Silver lining

Raining again sadly, so we’re off again. Covers are coming on, so another wait beckons.

The only positive for England – this means their seamers will all stay nice and fresh, making it easier to manage their workloads after four five-day Tests earlier this series.

03:31 PM BST

Rain stops play

It started to thicken between overs and forced the players off after Overton had completed his sixth.

03:30 PM BST

OVER 29: IND 85/3 (Sudharsan 28 Nair 0)

Umbrellas are starting to go up I am sad to report. Overton continues with six dot balls and a wide that hoops miles outside off, so wide that they run a single.

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Rain stops play.

Not a surprise Overton is short of rhythm. He has played two first-class games this season, taken two for 164 from 40 overs. A bowling average of 82 gets you a Test call up these days. He was at the IPL earlier this summer which prevented him playing for Surrey and suffered an injury playing in the white ball series against West Indies.

03:26 PM BST

OVER 28: IND 83/3 (Sudharsan 28 Nair 0)

Remarkable. A brain freeze from the India captain who must have thought he’d hit the ball squarer than he had done. The rarely seen self saw-off. In comes Karun Nair, who was dropped for Old Trafford, and he is beaten outside off by a cutter from Atkinson that moves a mile.

He is one superb all-round athlete is Gus Atkinson. As he bats, bowls and fields, you can tell he grew up playing all sorts of sports at school. Please note how he aimed, not just straight, but near the base of the stumps so the ball did not bounce over them.

03:20 PM BST

Wicket!

Gill run out 21 He’s been risking it ever since the resumption. Sets off on a suicidal single when pressing a check drive up the pitch. Atkinson darts to his left to gather in his followthrough, picks it up in his left hand, plants his feet and transfers the ball to his right. Gill slips as he tries to turn and Atkinson throws down the stumps from eight yards with the batsman not even in the picture. FOW 83/3

03:20 PM BST

OVER 27: IND 83/2 (Sudharsan 28 Gill 21

There’s a dinner plate-sized patch of sawdust where Overton;s left foot is landing from the Vauxhall End to try to stop him slipping. He’s bowling impressively, nice and full, up at 88mph, considerable swing. Sudharsan makes a tight leave, raps him on the knuckles with the one ball closer to his traditional length, then hollers an unconvincing appeal when he entices Sudharsan to play and miss outside off. There was a sound but might have been a squeak of the bat handle or the scrape of his sprigs as the keeper and slips do not support the bowler’s interest.

03:16 PM BST

OVER 26: IND 82/2 (Sudharsan 28 Gill 20)

Sudharsan cashes in when Atkinson starts too short, ounching two off the back foot past cover and a single tucked off his hips. India are risking slipping by taking sharp singles while running on the moist pitch. They get away with one when Gill sends Sudharsan back and then sprint through to complete one with a tap into the offside. Gill ends the over with a no-ball then a wide off the extra ball when he bounces Sudharsan. The eighth ball of the over is a peach, snaking in then nipping away from the tall left-hander’s outside edge.

03:09 PM BST

OVER 25: IND 76/2 (Sudharsan 25 Gill 19)

Overton starts full and fast, angling the yorker on to leg stump. Gill tries to tickle it fine, misses and the ball whistles past the poles. That was the inswinger and he follows it with an outer that starts a bit too straight, finding the leading edge when Gill tries again to work it through the legside. England did not threaten the edge much this morning because they seemed afraid to be driven but Overton does go full on a fourth-stump line and Gill creams it through the covers for four. Lovely shot.

03:06 PM BST

OVER 24: IND 72/2 (Sudharsan 25 Gill 15)

Atkinson is extracting some zip from the pitch straightaway, pitching up and pounding the channel outside the left-handed Sudharsan’s off-stump. After the batsman leaves a couple, Atkinson angles the next one in, making him block. Atkinson takes very short strides, reminding one of Marlies Göhr. Sudharsan ends the over leaving a couple again. So Atkinson resumes with a maiden.

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Everyone has bowled poorly from the Vauxhall End so far. Jamie Overton will have first dibs on making amends.

03:00 PM BST

Gus Atkinson

England’s player of the year in 2024 and the best bowler this morning, is taking off his cap.

02:59 PM BST

The umpires are coming on

The last of the covers, the hessian, is coming off the pitch. Looks like we will resume on time after all.

02:52 PM BST

A hitch

Perfectly timed, we’ve got some wouldn’t-start-in-it-but-would-stay-on-in-it rain falling…

02:44 PM BST

Revised session times

This feels optimistic:

Afternoon session: 3pm-5.05pm
Tea interval: 5.05pm-5.25pm
Evening session: 5.25pm-7pm plus extra 30 mins for overs not bowled.

02:37 PM BST

Play will resume at 3pm

Unless there is further rain, of course.

02:32 PM BST

Skywatching

There is another inspection taking place, but the radar is suggesting there’s another big dump of rain coming that could wipe out much of the afternoon. What a shame that would be.

02:28 PM BST

The groundstaff are repainting the popping creases

So hopefully play will start quickly after the 2.30pm inspection.

02:02 PM BST

Sky reports

The outfield is still quite wet and Ian Ward expects the umpires to announce another inspection at 2.30pm.

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That has just been confirmed by Surrey.

01:55 PM BST

No overs lost as yet

Expecting a restart at 2:15. Wouldn’t be any overs lost at this point – so a late finish in store.

01:36 PM BST

Have you ever seen an action like this?

01:31 PM BST

Pitch inspection at 2pm

So, half an hour’s mopping first but the umpires should not dally too much after that.

The pegs which hold down the covers are being taken out. That is the first step, and the groundsmen are starting to take them off…

01:27 PM BST

The covers are coming off

Only the sheet covering the run-ups at the Pavilion End so far but it’s a start.

The covers are coming off. There’s a fair bit of standing water on them so it’ll be a little while before we see cricket.

01:21 PM BST

Brighter news

The umbrellas are coming down but the covers are not yet coming off…

01:16 PM BST

The forecast for this afternoon

Suggests showers until 4pm, the possibility of precipitation at 50-60 per cent before reducing to 30 per cent after tea and 10 per cent by 7pm. The very heavy shower has dumped a lot of water on the outfield and even when it does stop raining it will take some mopping up. The Oval has a long, proud history of mopping up…

01:03 PM BST

Further delay likely after lunch

The radar suggests the rain should stop in 20-30 minutes but a lot has come down very quickly so I would expect we may not be back underway for an hour or so. There’s not that much cover from the rain here so everyone huddling where they can.

12:58 PM BST

Lunch verdict

Poor morning for England. The wicket of KL Rahul was a bonus they did not deserve. Chris Woakes was too leg side with the new ball, the two big bang it in merchants – Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue – were too short and wayward. Gus Atkinson was the most effective bowler, finding his length on his home ground straight away.

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Woakes was better from Pavilion End but otherwise a very below par session after winning the toss. Tim Southee, bowling coach, has work to do over lunch.

12:54 PM BST

Rain stops play

The players are scampering from the field. A moment ago it was sunny; now it is pelting down. There will be an early lunch, and in the circumstances I’d say that’s India’s session. England’s change bowlers of Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton really struggled, as these combined figures show.

• Woakes + Atkinson 15-1-35-2

• Tongue + Overton 8-2-34-0

12:53 PM BST

OVER 23: IND 72/2 (Sudharsan 25 Gill 15)

Another short ball from Overton is pulled easily for four by Gill. “Eff me” says Overton, looking down at the footmarks in which he is struggling to land properly. England have got problems – particularly at this end, where both Tongue and Overton have struggled.

12:49 PM BST

OVER 22: IND 68/2 (Sudharsan 25 Gill 11)

The shot of the morning from Sudharsan, a gunbarrel-straight drive for four when Woakes overpitches. These are slightly worrying signs for England, especially as the sun is starting to peek through the clouds.

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Sudharsan’s temperament looks well suited to the key role of No3. He’s played and missed a fair bit this morning, as you’d expect in these conditions, but at no stage has he looked rattled.

12:44 PM BST

OVER 20: IND 62/2 (Sudharsan 19 Gill 11)

Another rancid delivery from Overton is slapped through extra cover for four by Gill. England’s big boys, Tongue and Overton, have bowled poorly this morning, and it’s tempting to wonder what Sam Cook or Ollie Robinson might have done in these conditions.

12:41 PM BST

Gill moving closer to runscoring record

One to keep an eye on? Shubman Gill currently has 722 runs this series. The all-time record – held, naturally, by Don Bradman – is 974. But the record this century – Steve Smith’s 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes – is very possible. The record by any Indian is also 774 runs, by Sunil Gavaskar in 1970/71 in West Indies; that, remarkably, was his maiden Test series.

12:39 PM BST

OVER 20: IND 56/2 (Sudharsan 18 Gill 6)

Woakes attacks Sudharsan from around the wicket, hitting a fourth- or fifth-stump line. Sudharsan is beaten by a good delivery before flicking a straight one wide of leg slip for four. With Sudharsan it’s hard to know whether that’s a poor ball from Woakes or a deliberate tactic.

Twenty minutes to play before lunch. England will want at least one more wicket.

12:35 PM BST

OVER 19: IND 52/2 (Sudharsan 14 Gill 6)

Jamie Overton comes on for Josh Tongue, whose figures of 5-2-18-0 are slightly economical with the truth. An inviting short ball is waved elegantly through extra cover for four by Gill, a shot that made a beautiful sound off the bat.

Overton, like Tongue, struggles with the footmarks during a scruffy first over. It ends well, though, with a perfectly pitched outswinger that beats Gill.

12:29 PM BST

OVER 18: IND 46/2 (Sudharsan 13 Gill 2)

As always, Gill is batting outside his crease to Woakes. He plays and misses at a textbook outswinger, then clips on the bounceto Bethell at midwicket.

The contest between Gill and Woakes has been intriguing, especially in the last two Tests.

12:26 PM BST

OVER 17: IND 44/2 (Sudharsan 13 Gill 0)

Tongue is too full to Sudharsan, who drives him classily through mid-on for four. Fetch that, dear boy. It’s another ragtag over from Tongue, a mixture of the good, bad and indifferent.

12:18 PM BST

OVER 16: IND 40/2 (Sudharsan 9 Gill 0)

Rare lapse in concentration from KL Rahul who has been magnificent in this series. This is only the second time he has been out for lower than 39 and it is a sign of tiredness creeping in when a player like him makes an error of judgement so early in his innings.

12:16 PM BST

Wicket!

Rahul b Woakes 14 Chris Woakes gets the big one! KL Rahul tries to cut a ball that is a bit too close for the shot and drags it down onto his stumps. He looks disgusted with himself as he walks off; it was a minor misjudgement, no more, but it has cost him his wicket. FOW: 38/2

12:14 PM BST

OVER 15: IND 38/1 (Rahul 14 Sudharsan 8)

A nasty lifter from Tongue follows Sudharsan and thumps into the glove (I think). Tongue always has a jaffa in him, whether he’s bowling well or poorly, and he delivers another to past Sudharsan’s outside edge. A much better over.

12:12 PM BST

Pope captaining from the Stokes school

The lights are on and it’s gloomy. Difficult batting conditions, then, which is why England have packed the slip cordon – three slips, two gullies and a leg slip (Ollie Pope himself) for Chris Woakes to Sai Sudharsan now. So far, Pope is emphatically captaining from the Ben Stokes school.

12:10 PM BST

OVER 14: IND 37/1 (Rahul 14 Sudharsan 8)

Woakes changes ends to replace Atkinson. His first ball, left by Rahul, bounces just over the off stump. That’s an outstanding leave, perfectly judged, and Woakes barely even acknowledged it. With 99.94 per cent of batsmen he would have put his hands to his head, but he knows with Rahul there is no luck involved.

Later in the over Woakes does rue his luck when Sudharsan is beaten twice while pushing defensively. Both batters have faced 38 balls; Rahul has 14 runs, Sudharsan 8.

12:03 PM BST

OVER 13: IND 36/1 (Rahul 13 Sudharsan 8)

Sudharsan inside-edges an attempted yorker from Tongue onto his pads and is knocked off his feet. England went up for LBW but didn’t spend long discussing a review.

The floodlights are on but Tongue’s line is all over the Oval and he bowls successive deliveries well wide of off stump. These conditions feel perfect for somebody like Sam Cook and Ollie Robinson, maybe not Tongue or Jamie Overton.

A long, long way to go but overall that’s been a shoddy first hour from England. Time for drinks.

11:59 AM BST

OVER 11: IND 34/1 (Rahul 13 Sudharsan 6)

England would have expected more sideways movement in the first hour. Atkinson finds some with a terrific outswinger that beats Rahul’s defensive push. His figures remain excellent (6-1-7-1), though Scyld Berry is right that all the England bowlers could have pitched it up more.

11:55 AM BST

OVER 11: IND 33/1 (Rahul 13 Sudharsan 5)

A rare poor shot from Rahul, who chases a very wide delivery, almost yorker-length, from Tongue and is beaten.

Tongue seems to be landing okay now. His second over is a bit of a mixture but includes an excellent last delivery that lifts over the stumps. Rahul pursed his lips after leaving it safely on length.

11:50 AM BST

OVER 10: IND 33/1 (Rahul 13 Sudharsan 5)

Not for the first time on this series, Rahul is playing on a different pitch. He clips Atkinson calmly through midwicket for three, with the ball rolling helpfully (for India) across the damp outfield.

Sudharsan is less convincing for the last five balls of the over, including another play and miss outside off.

11:47 AM BST

England bowling too short

India’s opening pair haven’t been driven enough, especially Chris Woakes ie he has not pitched full enough to take an edge. Hence he has been taken off after only four overs on what should be his field day. England aren’t going to have another attack of those collective nerves when Joe Root sent an opposition in, are they?

11:46 AM BST

OVER 9: IND 30/1 (Rahul 10 Sudharsan 5)

Josh Tongue comes on for Chris Woakes, who might change ends when Atkinson’s spell finishes. Tongue’s first over is a bit of a nightmare – it includes two lots of five wides down the leg side, one to each batsman. The footmarks are soggy and on both occasions he slipped upon landing. The last three balls of the over were exactly where he wanted, however, culminating in a play and miss from Sudharsan.

11:39 AM BST

OVER 8: IND 18/1 (Rahul 9 Sudharsan 5)

Atkinson, bowling over the wicket now, angles successive deliveries past Sudharsan’s outside edge. The first was a genuine play and miss, the second up for debate.

Excellent stuff so far from Atkinson, who has figures of 4-1-3-1. For somebody who has barely played in the last two months, his line and length have been terrific.

11:34 AM BST

OVER 7: IND 17/1 (Rahul 8 Sudharsan 5)

Sudharsan flicks Woakes past leg slip for his first boundary. England won’t mind that, given Sudharsan’s vulnerability down the leg side in this series.

11:32 AM BST

Cramped schedule unfair on bowlers and spectators

This is the first time Woakes has played five Tests in a series and he has never bowled as many as his 170 overs in this series (and counting). And he’s 36. He bowled 46 overs at Old Trafford (only twice before has he bowled more in a match), and has had just three days rest. This sort of schedule can’t go on. It is not fair on ticket buyers for the fifth Test.

11:29 AM BST

OVER 6: IND 13/1 (Rahul 8 Sudharsan 1)

Atkinson’s wicket-to-wicket angle means he is always making the batsmen play, something that is especially valuable on a morning like this.

So are KL Rahul’s defensive technique and judgement of when to play and when to leave. He’s happy to see out a maiden from Atkinson, defending the straight ones and leaving anything slightly wide.

11:26 AM BST

OVER 5: IND 13/1 (Rahul 8 Sudharsan 1)

A quiet over from Woakes. There hasn’t been that much sideways movement, even though conditions feel perfect for swing and seam. Sometimes the Dukes doesn’t start to talk until the lacquer comes off after around 10 overs.

11:22 AM BST

Atkinson reminds England of his importance

I reckon it’s easy to forget quite how good Gus Atkinson was last year. Straight to fifty wickets, a load of five-fers, a hundred at Lord’s, and a hat-trick. He was out on his feet by the end, but he’s a fine bowler and a key component of England’s Ashes attack.

11:21 AM BST

OVER 4: IND 10/1 (Rahul 7 Sudharsan 0)

There was a nice reaction to the wicket from Ollie Pope, a cheeky smile on his face as he raised both fists towards Ben Stokes on the England balcony. Pope was 0 from 14 on reviews last summer; today he’s 1 from 1.

11:17 AM BST

Wicket!

Jaiswal LBW b Atkinson 2 Gus Atkinson strikes with his seventh ball, and I owe Ollie Pope an apology! When he took that LBW shout upstairs – remember he wasted 14 reviews as captain last summr – I thought it was a stinker and that Jaiswal had got a bug inside edge onto the pad. In fact the ball from Atkinson, angled in from around the wicket, missed the bat by a distance and hit both pads. Once that became apparent he was in big trouble; the technology showed the ball would have hit the top of middle and leg. FOW: 10/1

11:16 AM BST

OVER 3: IND 9/0 (Jaiswal 2 Rahul 7)

Woakes is a touch too straight to Rahul, who does the necessary through midwicket for the first boundary of the day. He has made a more assured than Jaiswal, who ends the over with a thick inside-edge for a single.

Rahul is an expert in these conditions; he made a beautiful 129 at Lord’s in 2021 after India were put into bat.

11:10 AM BST

OVER 2: IND 3/0 (Jaiswal 1 Rahul 2)

Gus Atkinson, back after injury, shares the new ball. His pace is good, around 88mph, and he doesn’t take long to find a challenging line. Jaiswal leaves the last ball on length, prompting a couple of oohs and aaahs from the England fielders.

11:09 AM BST

Plenty of Ashes sub-plots at The Oval

It is not quite like the old days when a good Oval Test would earn a player a winter tour but for Overton, Tongue and Woakes there is a lot to play for this week. Woakes has been well below par and I don’t think he should go to Australia, Tongue huffed and puffed and blew the tail away but offered little else and in Overton’s only other Test he made more of an impression with the bat. Also Jacob Bethell could cause England another headache this week if he does well but it is great to see him. He should have played all summer.

11:06 AM BST

OVER 1: IND 2/0 (Jaiswal 1 Rahul 1)

Chris Woakes, who must feel he deserves conditions like this after flogging dead pitches all summer, takes the new ball. Three slips and a gully are waiting for an outside edge. It almost comes when Jaiswal plays and misses at the last ball of a solid first over. There will be plenty of playing and missing today.

10:59 AM BST

The players are ready for action

Ollie Pope has inherited the luck of great generals. This was far and away the most significant toss of this series. Almost win toss, bowl first, win match.

10:53 AM BST

The covers are off…

… and play will start on time if there’s no more rain. The players are standing on the boundary ready for the anthems.

India have now lost their last 15 tosses in men’s international; apparently that’s a 32,000-1 shot.

10:48 AM BST

A vital toss to win

Biggest toss of the series, for me. England’s best hope in this game is making good progress today with their refreshed attack. Only Woakes survives and this pitch looks tailor-made for him.

10:48 AM BST

The covers are going on

It’s very gloomy at The Oval, and a few more umbrellas are up too. Looks like it’s raining again – the covers are coming back on too.

10:45 AM BST

The teams

Both teams have made four changes from the Old Trafford Test, many enforced. England bring in Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue for Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer.

India have beefed up their batting by recalling Karun Nair in the middle order. Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep also come into the side. Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah are injured or having their workload managed; Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur are dropped.

England Crawley, Duckett, Pope (c), Root, Brook, Bethell, Smith (wk), Woakes, J Overton, Atkinson, Tongue.

India Jaiswal, Rahul, Sudharsan, Gill (c), Nair, Jadeja, Jurel (wk), Washington, Prasidh, Deep, Siraj.

10:40 AM BST

England win the toss and bowl

That’s five out of five tosses that England have won in this series – and this feels like the most important of the lot.

10:30 AM BST

Toss delayed

It has just started raining at the Oval so the covers are going on. Sounds like it should only be a short delay.

10:27 AM BST

An easy decision at the toss

Good morning from the Oval!

I’d say this is the easiest toss decision of the series. It’s a horrible grey morning, and the pitch is green. It hammered it down in south London overnight and there’s a little bit more in the air now, so the pitch is being covered. Nothing dramatic, and the teams are continuing their warm ups.

The word among our Indian colleagues is still that Bumrah won’t play today, which feels pretty remarkable and is a window into quite how bad his back issues are that he wouldn’t play a do-or-die game like this. Especially as it might be over quite quickly.

10:15 AM BST

The last quick standing

10:03 AM BST

Geoffrey Boycott’s preview

09:59 AM BST

The ECB has broken Stokes by prioritising The Hundred

By Nick Hoult

Little more than two hours after Ben Stokes pulled out of the fifth Test broken by an exhausting series schedule, the England & Wales Cricket Board trumpeted the signing of its £500m Hundred deals.

Just how tone deaf can you be? The denouement of an absorbing Test series will be minus the most inspirational cricketer of his generation, captain of the England team and man of the match at Old Trafford and Lord’s because Stokes’s battered body could not cope with the demands.

Read more…

09:56 AM BST

Graham Thorpe’s father: ‘I still watch videos of my son batting’

By Jeremy Wilson

“I love it,” says Geoff Thorpe, poignantly, as he describes the pleasure that he still experiences while watching videos of his son’s stellar cricket career.

He mentions the comeback hundred that Graham Thorpe scored against South Africa at the Oval in 2003, exactly a decade after he marked his England debut with an unbeaten Ashes century against Australia. That had not been done for 20 years.

There were also virtuoso performances in conditions as diverse as the WACA in Perth and a turning pitch in Colombo against Muttiah Muralitharan. “I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it’s a nice feeling,” says Geoff. “I’ve got one video where he got a hundred in the Benson & Hedges Cup. David Lloyd was commentating and he said, ‘Watch his eyes – he’s looking at the gaps’. You watch and think, ‘Yes, that’s where the ball went’.

“I have a lot of pride in what he did. You can’t take it away. It’s just a shame that he couldn’t cope with his mental health. When he died, I received a lot of letters. This suicide… this mental health… it’s a big, big problem. It smothers you if you don’t talk.B

“I love it,” says Geoff Thorpe, poignantly, as he describes the pleasure that he still experiences while watching videos of his son’s stellar cricket career.

He mentions the comeback hundred that Graham Thorpe scored against South Africa at the Oval in 2003, exactly a decade after he marked his England debut with an unbeaten Ashes century against Australia. That had not been done for 20 years.

There were also virtuoso performances in conditions as diverse as the WACA in Perth and a turning pitch in Colombo against Muttiah Muralitharan. “I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it’s a nice feeling,” says Geoff. “I’ve got one video where he got a hundred in the Benson & Hedges Cup. David Lloyd was commentating and he said, ‘Watch his eyes – he’s looking at the gaps’. You watch and think, ‘Yes, that’s where the ball went’.

“I have a lot of pride in what he did. You can’t take it away. It’s just a shame that he couldn’t cope with his mental health. When he died, I received a lot of letters. This suicide… this mental health… it’s a big, big problem. It smothers you if you don’t talk.”

Read more…

09:54 AM BST

Good morning

Morning and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, over-by-over coverage of day one of the final Test between England and India at the Kia Oval. This should be a huge game. It is a huge game, with England 2-1 up and chasing only their second series win against India or Australia in the last decade. But there has been a slightly strange pre-match atmosphere, largely because both teams are on their last legs after 20 days of extremely hard-fought cricket in little over a month.

England are without the injured/knackered Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. India are yet to name their team but they will be without Rishabh Pant and probably Jasprit Bumrah. The London weather has enhanced the mood: it bucketed down overnight and we’re unlikely to get a full day’s play today.

Stokes sustained a grade-three muscle tear in his shoulder during the Old Trafford Test and is unable to play even as a specialist batsman/captain. “It was one of those where you were weighing up the risk-reward,” he said, “and the risk was way too high for damaging us any further than it currently is.”

His absence means Ollie Pope – who started the series fighting for his place – will captain England for the fifth time. Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jacob Bethell come into the side for Liam Dawson, Stokes, Archer and Carse.

Once the match starts, all the pre-match weirdness will be forgotten. This is such a big game for both teams. You may not have heard, but England have an Ashes series in Australia this winter. Their mood going into that tour will be very different if they win 3-1 or draw 2-2 against India.

India are at a different stage of their development, and a 2-2 draw would be an admirable achievement in Shubman Gill’s first series as captain – especially as he has also scored runs in industrial quantities.

One team will leave The Oval full of the joys; the other will feel like all that hard work was for nothing.

Toss 10.30am*

First ball 11am*

* Weather permitting