LONDON: Unlike Friday, India decided to have a heavy roller on the surface and it worked in their favour as they scored 52 runs without loss in the first hour of play in the fifth and final Test here at the Oval on Saturday.
Pacer Akash Deep, who came in as a nightwatchman after B Sai Sudharsan's dismissal the previous day, took the charge picking up boundaries and facing most of the deliveries till drinks. He also completed his first half-century in the process and added 107 runs for the third wicket with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal before being dismissed only 11 minutes before lunch.
Meanwhile, England's horror show in the fielding continued as Zak Crawley dropped Akash Deep at the slip cordon in the 26th over bowled by Josh Tongue. It was the fourth dropped catch of the innings. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal got two reprieves while B Sai Sudharsan was grassed once on Day 2 evening.
The hosts started the proceedings with Jacob Bethell in their bid to change ends for the two pacers - Tongue and Gus Atkinson. The India pacer sent the third ball of the first over of the day through midwicket for a four giving the team a good start.
Tongue bowled round the wicket to Jaiswal, the tactic England adopted against the southpaw, but the batter negated all threats playing with caution. In the 23rd over, India completed the 100-run mark with Jaiswal guiding the ball for two.
As has been the case at the venue, England first got a hint of swing in the 25th over bowled by Atkinson and the next over Akash Deep survived a close LBW chance with the umpire's call letting him off the hook. The 28-year-old Bengal bowler frustrated England pacers scoring runs quickly. He played an uppercut against Atkinson for a boundary in the 35th over, reaching 47 and then brought his maiden Test fifty with another four off the bowler in his next over.
If Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had tore apart India's bowling attack in the first session on the second day, Akash Deep along with Jaiswal wore down the English pacers by not only almost playing out the first session but also accumulating important runs in comparatively better batting conditions.
Akash Deep, in fact, looked in control and left balls outside the off stump with ease. A few edges also flew behind the stumps helping his cause. One such edge beat a flying gully fielder Duckett as the boundary brought up the 100-run partnership between Akash Deep and Jaiswal in the 42nd over.
He, however, departed the next over on 66 as he got a leading edge off Jamie Overton's back of length delivery and the backward point fielder Atkinson held a good catch to end the 107-run partnership for the third wicket. Given the good start they got, India finished the session at 189/3.