England took two early wickets in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval on Thursday, with the tourists 72-2 when a downpour led to an early lunch on the opening day.

A roller-coaster of a test cricket series between England and India will go the wire. India salvaged an against-the-odds draw in the fourth test with a show of grit and sheer defiance on Sunday, and kept alive its hopes of tying the five-match series.