Karun Nair starred with the bat for India on Day 1 of the fifth Test against England at The Oval on Thursday, July 31. The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 52 off 98 balls, comprising seven boundaries.The fighting knock came as India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals on a green pitch under overcast conditions with brief spells of rain. The 33-year-old walked in when the visitors were in a spot of bother at 83/3 and stayed till stumps as the score reached 204/6.Nair, who replaced Shardul Thakur in the playing XI, smashed his first half-century on the England tour. He previously managed 131 runs in six innings with a best score of 40.Fans on X lauded Karun Nair for his fighting fifty (and counting). One user wrote:"A Valuable One in the context of the game."Another user commented:"A Terrific 50 in tough batting conditions when everyone failing bro stood like a rock."A third user added:"Karun Nair ends the wait with a gritty half-century!"Here are a few more reactions:Karun Nair stands tall as India end Day 1 on a positive note against England in the 5th TestA half-century from Karun Nair helped India finish Day 1 on a bright note against England in the fifth Test.At stumps on Day 1, the tourists were 204/6, with Nair (52) and Washington Sundar (19) at the crease. The duo has shared a fifty partnership and would now be keen to score big on Day 2. Meanwhile, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, returning with two wickets apiece.Apart from Nair, Sai Sudharsan, skipper Shubman Gill, and Dhruv Jurel chipped in with 38 (108), 21 (35), and 19 (40), respectively. Openers KL Rahul (14) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) perished cheaply.Earlier in the day, the visitors made four changes to their playing XI with World No.1-ranked Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah (rested) and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (foot injury) among key absentees. On the other hand, Ollie Pope is leading the hosts after regular skipper Ben Stokes was ruled out due to a shoulder injury. The stand-in captain won the toss and elected to bowl first.England are leading the five-match series 2-1. Thus, India must win the game to avoid a hat-trick of Test series losses after 1-3 and 0-3 defeats to Australia (away) and New Zealand (at home).Follow the ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test live score and updates here.