India, Aug. 1 -- On a pitch tailor-made for seamers and under persistent grey skies, India finished a stop-start opening day at 204/6 in the series-deciding fifth Test against England at The Oval. Karun Nair, brought back into the XI after being dropped for the fourth Test, stood firm with an unbeaten 52 on a day when the ball did plenty and wickets fell regularly. The rain intervened twice, limiting play to 64 overs, but the underlying talking point remained the nature of the surface, and Sunil Gavaskar didn't hold back.

During a chat on Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar appeared to take a jab at the England bowling lineup as he talked about the pitch. The side is playing without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse - who led the pace ...