England’s sloppy fielding handed India complete control on day two of the fifth Test at The Oval. The hosts shelled three catches in the opening 15 overs of the second innings alone, a series of costly blunders that left the team visibly frustrated and deflated out on the field.
India ended the day 52 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who rode his luck to a 44-ball half-century, was dropped twice. Harry Brook put him down on 20 at second slip, and Liam Dawson missed a straightforward chance at long leg when Jaiswal mistimed a hook shot. Zak Crawley also spilled a catch at third slip off Sai Sudharsan.
The easiest chance of the day fell to Dawson, who was only on the field because Woakes got hurt. The ball came straight down his throat, but he just seemed to lose it in the glare of the sun or the stadium lights. You could see his sunglasses sitting uselessly on his cap as the ball went down. In the end, he was lucky it didn’t hit him.
“You’re always frustrated when you miss opportunities,” said assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “We pride ourselves on being very good in those areas, but it just didn’t happen. We all know how important they are. We all know how tough catches can be, especially in the slips, so we’re disappointed, but it is what it is.”
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According to ESPNcricinfo logs, Crawley’s drop was England’s 15th of the series, compared to India’s 20. Fielding lapses have cost England before, including in Manchester, where Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja benefited from missed chances.
England looked tired in the field after batting just 51.2 overs in their first innings, but Trescothick dismissed the idea that fatigue was to blame. “I don’t think that’ll be anything to do with it. It just happens over the course of some games. It’s just the game, as we see it.”
Despite the errors, Trescothick said the Test remains “evenly poised.” He described the pitch as lively, with good pace and seam movement. “There’s more life in it. There’s more pace, more seam movement, and we’re at the extreme version of what we see in those types of pitches. It’s definitely what we like.”
England faces a huge test on day three. Their mission is simple: hold onto their catches and take every single chance that comes, because it’s their only shot at wrestling back some control in this Test.
