LONDON: England took two early wickets in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval on Thursday, with the tourists 72-2 when a downpour led to an early lunch on the opening day. Sai Sudharsan (25 not out) and prolific captain Shubman Gill (15 not out) then held firm in a match India must win to end a gripping series all square at 2-2. Ollie Pope, leading England in place of injured captain Ben Stokes, won the toss on his Surrey home ground and unsurprisingly elected to field first in overcast conditions and on a green-tinged pitch.

LONDON: England and India head to the Oval for the decisive fifth and final Test of a hard-fought campaign on Thursday, with both teams battling mental and physical fatigue. A…

Ollie Pope leads England in place of captain Ben Stokes, who has been ruled out of the fifth Test against India starting at The Oval on Thursday.