England’s hopes of a series win against India were in danger of going off the rails after a toothless morning on day three of their fifth Test decider.
The home attack, lacking the injured Chris Woakes, managed just one wicket in two insipid hours – that of nightwatcher Akash Deep for a career-best 66.
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Having been sent in late on the Friday evening to shield Shubman Gill, he went on to score the majority share in a game-changing stand of 107 with Yashasvi Jaiswal. He should have been dismissed on 21 but was shelled at slip by Zak Crawley, his second drop of the innings and England’s fourth.
India’s Akash Deep celebrates his half century on day three of the fifth Test against England at the Kia Oval (Ben Whitley/PA).
India reached lunch on 189 for three, already 166 ahead and with plenty of power to add as they look to square the scoreline 2-2.
The tourists’ lead was a containable 52 overnight but England were short of their best from the very start, unable to generate danger or tie down the scoring.
The tone was set when part-timer Jacob Bethell took the first over, allowing Gus Atkinson to change ends, with Deep helping himself to a slogged boundary from the third ball of the day.
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He continued chancing his arm, heaving Atkinson across the line and angling Josh Tongue wide of the slips with soft hands, and should have come unstuck in the eighth over of the morning. Tongue came close to having him lbw, DRS denying him on umpire’s call, and took the outside edge with the next delivery.
England’s Josh Tongue reacts to a dropped catch during India’s second innings at the Kia Oval (Ben Whitley/PA).
Once again, England’s catching let them down as Crawley fumbled at third slip. That was as close as they came to parting the duo as they lost control in a dispiriting passage of play that saw India add 52 runs to the total.
England produced a few false shots after drinks but to no avail, with at least three edges skimming into the same gap wide of third slip. Deep advanced to an unlikely fifty with three fours off the tiring Atkinson – showing off unexpected range with a square cut, an uppercut and a pull.
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Overton finally ended his fun with the lunch break moving into view, digging in a short ball that took the leading edge and popped to backward point. It was a handy delivery but, after 28 wicketless overs on a helpful pitch, the Surrey quick owed his side one.
Gill and Jaiswal engaged in a familiar bout of time-wasting just before the interval, the latest act of gamesmanship in a contest that has descended into severely strained relations.
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