India opted to bat first on Day 1 (Thursday, July 31) of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval and reached 204/6 by stumps. With significant movement on offer, batting wasn’t easy for the visitors. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and KL Rahul (14) fell cheaply, putting India on the back foot early.
Sai Sudharsan (38) and Shubman Gill (21) showed some promise but couldn’t convert their starts into big scores. Ravindra Jadeja (9) and Dhruv Jurel (19) also departed without making a major impact. However, Karun Nair and Washington Sundar steadied the innings with a crucial unbeaten partnership of 51 runs.
Karun Nair’s return to form stood out, as he notched up a vital half-century—remaining unbeaten on 52 off 98 deliveries, including seven fours. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, India ended the day with some momentum. On that note, here are 3 records and milestones they achieved during the day.
#1 Only Indian bowlers with 10+ wickets in three 5-Test overseas series
Mohammed Siraj has become only the third Indian bowler to play all five Tests in an overseas series on three separate occasions and take 10 or more wickets each time. With this achievement, he joins the legendary duo of Kapil Dev and Vinoo Mankad in an exclusive club. Siraj reached the milestone after being included in India’s playing XI for the ongoing fifth Test.
He featured in all five matches during India’s 2021 tour of England, claiming 18 wickets. He repeated the feat in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, taking 20 wickets. In the current England series, Siraj has already picked up 14 wickets while playing in each of the five Tests.
#2 India’s highest total runs in a Test series
At stumps on Day 1, India’s run tally in the ongoing Test series has reached 3391, setting a new record for the most runs scored by the team in a single Test series. This surpasses their previous highest of 3270 runs, achieved during the 1978/79 home series against the West Indies.
In the 2016/17 home series against England, India had accumulated 3230 runs across five Tests. During England’s 2024 tour of India, the hosts managed a total of 3140 runs. Another notable series total came back in 1963/64, when India scored 3119 runs against England.
#3 Top run-scoring Indian Test captain in a series
Shubman Gill didn’t score much on Day 1 of the fifth Test, but he continued to break records in the series. The young skipper has now become the highest run-scorer by an Indian captain in a single Test series. So far, Gill has amassed 743 runs in nine innings at an impressive average of 82.55, including four centuries—one of them a double ton.
With this, he has surpassed the legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record of 732 runs, set during the six-match series against the West Indies in 1978/79. Gill had already gone past Virat Kohli’s tally of 655 runs from the 2016/17 home series against England.
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