Media365
England’s fielding woes continued as Liam Dawson dropped a straightforward chance to dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal during the second innings of the fifth Test at The Oval on Friday. The drop came in the 14th over when Jaiswal was on 40. Josh Tongue banged one short and Jaiswal, late on the pull, miscued it flat towards long leg — only for Dawson to spill the simplest of chances. This was the second life for Jaiswal in the innings. Earlier, when he was on 20, a thick edge off his bat was put down by Harry Brook at slip. Jaiswal, who scored a double hundred earlier in the series, seemed to be riding his luck once again.To make matters worse for England, Brook was also guilty of spilling a catch offered by Sai Sudharsan. These three missed opportunities may come back to hurt the hosts on a surface that has already shown signs of uneven bounce.
India had lost KL Rahul early in the innings, caught behind off Tongue with the score on 7. Despite the early setback, the visitors will feel buoyed after a strong bowling performance earlier in the day.
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Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna claimed four wickets each to help India bowl out England for 247, restricting the hosts’ lead to just 23. England had threatened a big total after their 92-run opening stand, but the Indian pacers hit back hard post-lunch. Zak Crawley top-scored with 64, while Harry Brook contributed 53. With no Chris Woakes available to bat, England’s lower order folded quickly.Yashasvi Jaiswal brought up his half-century in emphatic style, reaching the milestone with a towering six. The left-hander completed his fifty in just 44 balls, continuing his aggressive approach despite a few early reprieves. His counter-attacking innings has kept India afloat in the second innings of the fifth Test at The Oval, especially after the early loss of KL Rahul.
