IND vs ENG: Not Karun Nair! India batter played a 'Masterclass' till Dismissal, says Varun Aaron

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On a rain-marred day in London, India find themselves in a tricky situation at the end of Day 1 of the 5th Test against England.

India lost early wickets after they were sent to bat by English captain Ollie Pope. England's bowlers, particularly Gus Atkinson, exploited these conditions well, dismissing key Indian batsmen early, including openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and KL Rahul (14). India struggled to build a stable innings and were 72/2 at lunch. The day was heavily interrupted by rain, which restricted play to only 64 overs.

After rain delays, wickets fell quickly, including the dismissal of captain Shubman Gill via a run-out after a risky single. India slipped to 85/3 and then 148/5, but the innings was steadied by Karun Nair and Washington Sundar. Nair played a gritty and patient innings, scoring an unbeaten 52-his first Test half-century in over 8 years-while Sundar contributed 19 not out. Together they forged a 51-run partnership, guiding India to 204/6 at stumps.

Despite the tough start and limited playtime, Nair's resilience and Sundar's support kept India competitive, hinting at a potential fightback on a pitch that became slightly less green by evening.

Although Nair played a fantastic knock, former India player Varun Aaron says it was KL Rahul who played a masterclass. Rahul managed only 14 runs, but Aaron reiterates that the India batter looked excellent during his stay at the crease. Speaking on 'Match Centre Live' on Jio Hotstar, Aaron explained his reason and heaped praises on Rahul, who has already amassed 525 runs in this series.

"It was an opening batter's masterclass. He might have just scored 14 runs, but I was drooling over the way he was batting. No matter what happened to the ball, he was just doing everything right, right up until the point he got out. Rahul thought this particular delivery was a good opportunity to score. He scored a lot of runs with a cut shot. But that ball came back a little bit. That's why it found his inside edge," Aaron said.

"But KL Rahul will be very disappointed because he saw off the most difficult part of that innings, which was heavy overcast conditions, a very dicey wicket for an opening batsman. And then getting out like that, he'd be very disappointed because that ball was not a ball he should have gotten out to," he added.

India named four changes to their team for the final encounter. Pace star Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are ruled out due to workload and injury issues, whereas India also dropped Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj, who made his debut in the last match. Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair and Dhruv Jurel have been the players picked for the match.