India Falter in England Test Decider as Captain Gill Falls to Run Out

England took early control of the final Test at The Oval against India, ending a rain-affected first day with the visitors struggling at 204 for 6. With the series on the line and India needing a win to level it, their chances looked bleak after losing key batsmen cheaply, including KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and skipper Shubman Gill — all of whom have recently been thorns in England’s side. The highlight of the day for England came with Gill’s unexpected run-out for 21, a self-inflicted dismissal that halted India's momentum and deflated their top order.

The day began under overcast skies, which seemed tailor-made for England’s pace-heavy attack, though they were without their injured captain Ben Stokes. While the English bowlers lacked a sharp edge initially, they persevered and reaped rewards throughout the day. The first breakthrough came when Gus Atkinson, making a return to the side, trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for just 2. The dismissal was notable for stand-in captain Ollie Pope, who finally won a DRS review after 14 failed attempts in the previous year.

KL Rahul, who had already scored over 500 runs in the series, looked composed early on but fell to Chris Woakes for 14, playing on to his stumps. India reached lunch at 72 for 2, still in decent shape. However, the post-lunch session saw a sharp decline in their fortunes.

Shubman Gill, who began the day chasing several personal records, had been averaging over 90 in the series with four centuries. But in an inexplicable moment, he attempted a risky single where none existed and was run out by four yards. Bowler Gus Atkinson had enough time to collect and release the ball at the stumps with precision. Despite scoring only 21, Gill surpassed West Indies legend Garfield Sobers’ 1966 record (722 runs) to become the highest-scoring visiting captain in a series in England, with a tally of 743. He also entered the top nine for most runs scored in a single Test series on English soil, by either home or visiting players.

Following a rain delay, Josh Tongue struggled early on but recovered well to dismiss Sai Sudharsan for 38, finding the outside edge. He then struck again to remove Jadeja for 9 — a key scalp, given Jadeja’s unbeaten century in the previous Test. With Rishabh Pant absent due to injury, India’s middle order looked increasingly vulnerable.

Dhruv Jurel initially overturned an LBW decision through DRS but was dismissed shortly after for 19, caught at second slip by Harry Brook off Atkinson’s bowling. Karun Nair held firm with a composed, unbeaten 52, and Washington Sundar remained not out on 19 at stumps. Atkinson, the day’s standout performer, finished with impressive figures of 2 for 31 in 19 overs.

For England, the only sour note came when Chris Woakes suffered a worrying shoulder injury late in the day while trying to stop a boundary. Overall, the day belonged to England, and India now face a steep uphill battle in the remaining four days of the match.