Gus Atkinson was England's standout bowler on day one at the Kia Oval, his first Test of the England-India series, writes Yas Rana.
How did we get to this situation?
Two years ago to the day, Stuart Broad waltzed off into the sunset having sealed a series-saving win at the Kia Oval. The attack of Broad, James Anderson, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood had spared England’s blushes. When the rain fell on that final day, Australia required 146 runs with seven wickets in hand to take the Ashes 3-1 – a final scoreline that would have felt incongruous, at least on English soil. Instead, a vastly experienced bowling unit, led predominantly on the day by Woakes and Moeen, dramatically pulled the game back in England’s favour, and the series was levelled.
At the same venue two years later, the England attack, for another marquee series finale, is very different. Partly through necessity – both Broad and Moeen have retired, Wood has not yet regained fitness – but also design – Anderson was retired – the attack is markedly less experienced, especially without Stokes, without doubt England’s best bowler in 2025, but no more than a bit-part figure with the ball due to injury in 2023.
The sole common denominator between the two bowling groups is the now 36-year-old Woakes. Woakes has bowled lucklessly at times this series but is also clearly not the same bowler he was in 2023. Two years ago, he was player of the match in south London and named player of the series, despite not appearing until the third Test in Leeds. His durability has had value – he is the sole English bowler to play all five Tests – but he is no longer as gnawing, as persistent a threat. The freakish longevity and durability of Broad and Anderson has perhaps warped expectations around Woakes, as too have a series of unusually sluggish pitches.
That said, this was an excellent toss to win for stand-in skipper Ollie Pope. Conditions – overcast skies and a pitch with a more than just a tinge of green – and recent history – the side that has won the toss had bowled first in the previous 21 first-class fixtures on this ground – screamed ‘bowl first’.
A common thread through the tour thus far have been unusually uneventful opening days. Before today, the most wickets to fall on the opening day of a Test this series were the five that England took on the curtain-raiser at Edgbaston. Far more often than not bat has dominated ball.
Conditions today were hugely different. These were collapse-friendly conditions. Shubman Gill’s visible frustration at another lost toss was understandable; conditions were ripe for a match-defining burst of new-ball wickets. Seasoned viewers of Surrey have been known to express disappointment at the home side ‘only’ taking six wickets before lunch in conditions such as these.
With that in mind, you couldn’t help but feel this attack was not hugely well tailored to best utilise conditions. Woakes is playing his fifth Test in seven weeks, Atkinson his first first-class appearance in more than two months, Overton his third red-ball game since April 2024. Tongue, in fairness, has been reasonably active and carefully rested this summer.
Conditions presented an opportunity for England to get stuck into a similarly weary India line-up; this could not be another first day that drifted along aimlessly. The only England bowler who was truly on the money, and who bowled with an intensity a series finale like this deserved, was the returning Gus Atkinson.
It was a strange occasion for the Surrey speedster on home turf. Atkinson enjoyed a magical first year in Test cricket, racing to 50 Test wickets in 11 Tests and the top 15 of the ICC’s Test bowling rankings. In fact, despite missing four Tests on the trot, he was England’s highest ranked bowler coming into the Oval Test.
Also read: Gus Atkinson: I tried not to take the wicket that ended Anderson's last Test
Despite that extraordinary breakout year, there were still reasonable question marks around him. His first taste of Test cricket was relatively lowkey, no marquee series against sides stacked with the best batters in the world. Despite having turned 27 earlier this year, he is also an extremely inexperienced first-class cricketer. Before last summer, he had played just 13 first-class matches. His run of 19 first-class games in the 13 months from April 2024 to May 2025 surely impacted his pace and intensity that had noticeably dwindled since his epic Lord’s debut.
Atkinson was by some distance England’s standout seamer on day one, even if Tongue managed to conjure the odd moment of magic in an otherwise chaotic return to the XI.
He was frugal despite his fuller, attacking length and often bowling with a five-man cordon alongside Jamie Smith behind the stumps. His first 14 overs cost just 18 runs.
He was the first England bowler to strike, pinning Yashasvi Jaiswal in front. Atkinson’s most pivotal contribution, though, is not reflected in his final analysis for the day – the run out of Gill off his own bowling.
Gill had once more started serenely, and in an opening session during which England did not totally take advantage of the early conditions, looked ominous. A pause in the post-lunch delay, long enough to allow for six overs of actions, was when the pivotal moment arrived. Atkinson started his ninth over, striking Gill on the thigh with a ball that jagged back in late. It looked painful.
Gill defended the next ball from Atkinson into the off-side, immediately setting off for a single that wasn’t there. Was there an extra urgency to get off strike? If not due to the blow from the previous delivery, but from Atkinson’s indisputable status as the standout bowler of the day? We’ll never know. Atkinson, for what its worth, had a lot of work to do despite Gill’s ultimately incorrect instinctive move down the pitch. He sprinted to his left, and in one fell swooped, gathered the ball and struck the stumps with a direct hit. Gill was out of his ground and Atkinson had the big fish.
React. Pick-up. Strike.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025
Clinical from Gus Atkinson 👌 pic.twitter.com/aM3RbgBvjp
He was a consistent threat, even when his speeds naturally reduced from above to below 85mph over the course of the day. He bowled with real skill, finding movement both off the seam and through the air even as the ball aged. Fully recharged, Atkinson rose to the sternest challenge of his Test career so far.
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