Woakes impresses with bat and ball as England build first innings lead

Chris Woakes starred on his return to international cricket as England bowled out India for 191 before building a first-innings lead at The Oval.

With the series delicately poised following England’s dominant triumph at Headingley, Joe Root opted to bring Woakes straight back into the starting lineup for his first Test in over a year.

As he has done so often, the Warwickshire all-rounder provided his nation with another reminder of just how good he is.

2021 has been a difficult year for the 32-year-old, COVID-19 restrictions, IPL duty and a heel injury have restricted him to only a handful of white-ball international fixtures this summer.

With Sam Curran averaging 79.33 throughout the series, the perfect opportunity for Woakes to return presented itself, although, that is in spite of a lack of competitive domestic action.

Rohit Sharma (11) quickly became aware that Woakes had no problem with getting back up to speed with the rigours of international cricket as he produced a brilliant back-of-a-length delivery that nipped away from off-stump and found the edge of the Indian opener.

28-1 would soon change to 28-2 as Ollie Robinson picked up from where he left off at Headingley to dismiss KL Rahul (17).

It goes without saying that James Anderson also got in on the action with a perfect out-swinger to see off Cheteshwar Pujara for six.

Virat Kohli had struggled prior to posting a half-century in the previous Test, and he looked to be getting back to his best as the skipper steadied the ship in a bid to avoid another meagre first-innings total.

However, he should have been out for just 22 after edging towards Root at first slip. Instead, the chance was put down, though it was probably one that should’ve been taken by Rory Burns at second slip.

Impeccably strong on the drive whether he was playing into the off or on-side, Kohli scored with ease aside from that chance and saw the tourists past 100. He posted a second successive 50 before Robinson struck again.

The Sussex seamer found the perfect line and length once more to dismiss Kohli and make a key breakthrough as Ravi Jadeja (10) and Ajinkya Rahane (16) also departed swiftly.

Rishabh Pant’s batting woes showed no signs of stopping too, as he hoiked a Woakes slower ball into the hands of Moeen Ali at mid-off for nine to leave his side at 127-7.

While the inclusion of Shardul Thakur (57) provided the tourists with a shorter tail, very few would have foreseen his eventual contribution, especially given the situation he walked into.

In an innings that consisted of seven fours and three maximums, Thakur took India’s score from a limp total to one that was respectable within the match conditions.

Even when failing to make meaningful contact, the power and intent displayed by Thakur saw the ball fly past the slips. Thakur eventually departed as India were bowled out for 191.

Any chance of another opening stand worth 100-plus runs between Burns (5) and Haseeb Hameed (0) was soon eradicated by Jasprit Bumrah, with both batsmen playing at the ball as opposed to leaving it.

Root again looked comfortable at the crease alongside Dawid Malan (36), but Umesh Yadav would then deliver the hammer blow on his first appearance of the calendar year as he nipped one back to beat Root’s defences.

Whilst Craig Overton (1) and Malan were the not-out batsmen overnight, they would not last much longer on the morning of day two with Yadav doing the business again.

England were faltering at 62-5 and hoped that Ollie Pope would rediscover his form for the sixth wicket. Thankfully for the hosts, Pope did just that after replacing Jos Buttler in the middle order.

On his home ground, the Surrey youngster’s intent and confidence was admirable when taken into consideration he has struggled for runs on the international stage, with a high score of only 34 in his last 15 innings.

Alongside Jonny Bairstow (37), Pope counter-attacked and threw the Indian bowlers off their line and punished any width or overly-short balls.

His first Test 50 in over a year was brought up with an elegant glance down the leg-side, but only after Bairstow was pinned LBW by Mohammed Siraj.

With the help of Moeen Ali, who played well for his 35 and took his side into the lead, Pope pushed towards 100 but would ultimately fall 19 runs short as he dragged on when reaching for a wide Thakur delivery.

Woakes then channelled his one-day batting mode to play a number of crunching shots and post a sixth Test 50. If he did not previously realise, Kohli now knows he cannot underestimate Woakes, who averages 58 with the bat and 28.4 with the ball

England were bowled out for 284 with a lead of 99, a notable one when acknowledging their earlier position. Sharma and Rahul played well to see off the new ball, with their side trailing by 43 going into the third day.

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