LONDON (AP) — Yashasvi Jaiswal's lucky half-century overturned India's first-innings deficit into a 52-run lead against England on day two Friday of the fifth test at the Oval.
The bowlers dominated the day as 15 wickets fell on a misbehaving pitch, but any risk taken by the batters was rewarded.
Jaiswal, dropped twice, was 51 not out from 49 balls in leading India's second innings to 75-2 when bad light stopped play.
The first innings was wrapped up in about 30 minutes in the morning. India was all out for 224.
Then England openers Ben Duckett and Zac Crawley blitzed nearly 100 runs in 13 overs.
India fought back to dismiss England for 247 and restrict its first-innings lead to 23. It was confirmed before play that England was without allrounder Chris Woakes for the rest of the match after injuring his shoulder on Thursday.
Unlike at Old Trafford last weekend, a result looks likely at the Oval with England, leading the series 2-1, looking to clinch, and India seeking a remarkable second win.
Atkinson five-for
India resumed the day on 204-6 and any thoughts of making at least 250 were extinguished quickly. Only 20 more runs were added in 5.4 overs before India was all out for 224.
Karun Nair, 52 overnight, was out for 57, trapped by Josh Tongue, whose inconsistency was an effective threat to batters. Tongue took 3-57.
Washington Sundar moved from 19 to 26 when he was dismissed an over later by Gus Atkinson.
Atkinson, playing his first test since May because of a hamstring issue, mopped up with 5-33 in 22 overs, his fourth career five-for and first in tests at his home ground.
England would have been rapt at that point seeing as the injury to Woakes left the team short of a fast bowler and a very useful lower-order batter.
India's 224 seemed to be below par, then seemed puny as Duckett and Crawley launched into the India bowlers.
They propelled England past 50 in only the seventh over, passing the landmark with one of Duckett’s two sixes.
They made 92 together in 13 overs when Duckett tried to reverse scoop another six and was out for 43, caught behind off Akash Deep. Against convention, Deep put an apparently friendly arm around Duckett and talked to him before being pulled away by a teammate.
In Crawley's 50, boundaries made up 48. He was out on 64 after 14 boundaries, hurried by Prasidh Krishna into a miscued pull.
From 129-2, England crumbled as Krishna and Mohammed Siraj rebounded from being battered in the morning by finding life in the old ball in the afternoon.
Joe Root stood up to some needle from Krishna but Siraj got his wicket with some lively seam that trapped Root on 29 and stand-in captain Ollie Pope on 22.
Harry Brook tried to channel Duckett and Crawley but with more risk and led a comeback.
But the Woakes-less lower order couldn't mount a partnership with Brook or handle Siraj and Krishna. Jacob Bethell, at No. 6 in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, was caught plumb by a Siraj yorker on 6, and Brook was the ninth and last man out for 53 off 64 after he chopped on against Siraj.
Siraj took 4-86 and Krishna 4-62 as they made their first-innings total look reasonable.
Jaiswal began India's reply in a rush. When his edged cover drive flew through Brook's hands at second slip, it turned into the fifth boundary Jaiswal hit off Atkinson, in the fifth over of the innings.
The four runs also put India back in front.
His opening partner, Lokesh Rahul, absorbed 28 deliveries to score only 7 when he gave a catch to first slip off Tongue.
Tongue could have also had Jaiswal, who was dropped on 40 by Liam Dawson at deep fine leg.
Jaiswal survived, unlike Sai Sudharsan, who fell on 11 to a low Atkinson shooter in what turned out to be the day's last over because of bad light, with 15 overs remaining.
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The Associated Press
