Erratic England take six India wickets before Woakes injury scare

An England attack shorn of Ben Stokes mixed erratic and excellent bowling to reduce India to 204-6 from 64 overs on a rain-hit day one of the fifth Test as Chris Woakes suffered a big injury scare.

Woakes banged his left shoulder attempting to cut off a boundary late in the day and headed off the field with his arm wrapped up in his shirt, potentially depriving the hosts of their most experienced seamer for the rest of the game at The Kia Oval.

Josh Tongue (2-47) conceded 11 wides across three deliveries in a wayward opening over before returning in the evening to nick off Sai Sudharsan (38) and Ravindra Jadeja (9) with unplayable, near-identical out-swingers from around the wicket.

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England - 2-1 up in the series and looking to secure a first victory in a Test series of five matches since beating India 4-1 at home in 2018 - shipped 30 extras across the day, 16 of them wides, after stand-in skipper Ollie Pope elected to bowl on a damp, green surface.

At times it appeared the much-changed hosts - there were four changes from the drawn fourth Test, including the absence of Stokes (shoulder) and recalls for seamers Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton - would fail to capitalise on fine bowling conditions.

But Tongue's twin strikes as well two comeback wickets and a run out for Surrey's Gus Atkinson on his home ground, as he returned from a hamstring injury sustained against Zimbabwe in May, left the home side in a strong position - Woakes' injury aside

Atkinson, 2-31 from 19 overs, was the pick of the England pace unit - an accolade Stokes had taken across the first four Tests with 17 wickets at an average of 25.33 - while Surrey team-mate Overton (0-16) went at in excess of four an over in his first Test since his debut in 2022.

India, however, passed 200 late in the day with Karun Nair notching an unbeaten 52 during a half-century stand with Washington Sundar (19no) and will hope to kick on on Friday morning, with their opponents looking likely to be a bowler down.

More to follow.

Watch day two of the fifth Test between England and India, at The Kia Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Friday or stream without a contract.

England vs India - results and schedule

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports

• First Test (Headingley) - England won by five wickets
• Second Test (Edgbaston) - India won by 336 runs
• Third Test (Lord's) - England won by 22 runs
• Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford) - Match drawn
• Fifth Test (The Kia Oval): July 31 - August 4