Thursday, 18 August 2011

Cricket: England Win Toss, Bat First

With all the signs pointing to England completing a 4-0 drubbing of India over the next five days, Andrew Strauss won the toss and chose to bat first. The home side have already seized the initative, motoring to 50 without losing a wicket on the first morning.

England remain unchanged, with Jimmy Anderson overcoming injury concerns. India make one change, bringing in RP Singh - who last played a Test in 2008 - in place of the injured Praveen Kumar.

Given that Kumar has been the pick of the Indian seamers, it seems a safe bet that the tourists will spend a long day in the field today. While many are hoping to witness Sachin Tendulkar's 100th century at the Oval, they may have to make do with savouring another innings victory for England.

Only the rain can derail England based on the evidence of day one. The weather wiped out most of the play, leaving the hosts on 75-0. India must return with a lot more spirit on day two if they hope to get anything from this Test.

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