By Trisha Ghosal in London
On a stop-start, rain-hit opening day at The Oval, India scrapped their way to 204/6, with Karun Nair standing tall on 52 not out. While conditions were favourable for the bowlers, England struggled to capitalise — bowling too wide, too often.
India, meanwhile, had a mixed day. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell early, Shubman Gill was run out, and KL Rahul chopped on. None of the top-order batters settled in, but Nair’s grit and some resistance from Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar kept India afloat. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate addressed the media after stumps.
Is 204/6 a good day’s work?
Yeah, I’d say that’s a fair day. The surface was challenging and the constant interruptions didn’t help either. The partnerships were short, 20s, 30s, 40s, but that’s reflective of how difficult it was to build momentum. If we get close to 300, it’ll be a very good total.
How did the rain breaks affect the batting group?
The message was about mentally switching back on. That’s hard when you’re in and out. You basically have to restart every time. I thought the boys handled it pretty well, especially Sai, who looked composed. Josh Tongue bowled two cracking deliveries at the end there.
Why was Jasprit Bumrah rested today?
It’s a complex decision. He’s not hiding, we’re managing him. He told us he’d play three Tests and left it to us to decide which ones. His workload has been high even if it doesn’t look like that on paper. We just didn’t think this was the game to push him.
Nair’s been all over the order. Has that hurt or helped him?
Today’s position suited him. Walking in when he did wasn’t too different from three or four, positions he prefers. Six was a big ask earlier in the series, but he’s never complained. He just puts the team first.
Was Gill’s run-out frustrating?
More so for him, I’d imagine. He looked in great touch. But these things happen, especially when boundaries are hard to come by. Overall, we were happy with how the batters accumulated.
What do you expect from the pitch going forward?
If the clouds stay, it’ll keep doing a bit. The bowlers’ landings were tricky today, which led to inconsistency but also made it tough for batters. I don’t think it’ll go flat.
How tricky is it to manage squad morale around someone like Bumrah?
I wouldn’t say he’s picking and choosing. He gave us a clear plan, and we’ve tried to manage him responsibly. As for the rest, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, Abhimanyu, they’ve been outstanding. No complaints, just full effort every day. That’s what creates a good culture.
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