Indian fielders caught napping, miss two crucial opportunities to dent England: 'They're taking ages to get to the ball'

First, a four-wicket collapse, then leaking 50 in just seven overs. It seems as if Team India woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Day 2 of the 5th Test against England at the Oval on Friday. From getting bowled out for 224 – just 24 added to their overnight total of 200 – to bowlers getting plundered left, right and centre, Shubman Gill and his team would want to forget India’s nightmarish outing that unfolded before lunch. England, who are without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and now Chris Woakes – because of a shoulder dislocation – but boy, they are dominating India as if it's a handicap match out there. The Indian team did not know what hit them(AFP)

Also Read: Follow India vs England 5th Test Day 2

When the second day resumed, India were hopeful of reaching at least 275, but they fell short by 51 runs, allowing England batters to get an early look in. Actually, scratch that. Let’s rephrase it to dominate, because that's exactly what happened. The next 90 minutes were pure carnage. The Indian bowlers found themselves like a deer in front of a headlight as openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley went on a rampage to bludgeon 92 runs for the opening wicket. Akash Deep was the one to finally provide the breakthrough for India, but it all came a little too late.

The missed chances

The Indians did not know what hit them. Which is why they were, on a couple of occasions, slow to react on the field, leading to a missed catch and run-out opportunity. Early in the innings, a ball from Akash struck Duckett on his gloves, but as the ball lobbed in the air, fielders and slips were slow to react to it. Washington Sundar and Sai Sudharsan moved, but a tad too late, allowing the ball to bounce in front of them.

The next slip-up happened a few overs later, when again, Sudharsan was caught napping. Had he got to the ball in time, one of the two – Crawley and Duckett- could have been at the risk of a run out as both had a bit of a mix-up. This flat-footed attitude forced one of the commentators to say: 'It's taking them [Indian fielders] ages to get to the ball."

The wicket of Duckett did little to turn things in India's favour as Crawley brought up his half-century off just 42 balls. Ollie Pope, too, raced to 12 off 16 to add to India's woes. England reached 109/1 at lunch, and in the process, became the third quickest team to notch up a 100 against India (14.4 overs), behind Australia and Bangladesh.

Click here to read article