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12.15am: Robinson gets Rahul
India were 28 for 0 off 7 overs, then managed 0 for 2 in the next 7, with Ollie Robinson and Chris Woakes getting the ball to swing and keeping incredibly disciplined in their lengths, resisting the temptation to go too full. Robinson has just got KL Rahul with a nip-backer - which has previously been a real weakness for him in Test cricket - which hit him high on the back pad, but the DRS upheld the on-field decision.
Robinson has been remarkable for England this summer - it says plenty that he was given the new ball ahead of Woakes this morning - and has impressed James Anderson too, who was writing about their relationship in his Telegraph column this week.
"We have a similar outlook on bowling," Anderson said. "Essentially we like showing off. We both know we have good skills with the ball and on our day we can be a real handful. We like tormenting batsmen. We hate going for runs and we love taking wickets. He has got that aggressive streak as well, getting in a battle with the opposition. It adds something to his game. He is very passionate about playing for England. The key, and something I have had to learn, is controlling aggression and making it work to your advantage.
"We get on really well on and off the field. We have a real interest in the game. He wants to learn and talk about bowling. It is exactly like what I am like. Whether in nets or at dinner, we just try to chat and learn the whole time. It does help when you have that natural understanding, knowing what each other is doing and your strengths."
11.45am: Woakes strikes early
Expensive start from James Anderson, who was punished for overpitching - according to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, his six 'full' balls across his first spell were taken for 16 runs, including three boundaries. The early signs are that the pitch is quite slow and easy-paced, with the ball losing a lot of its speed after pitching.
But Chris Woakes, returning to the Test side after a year away through various mishaps - self-isolation, rotation and injury - immediately got the ball hooping, swinging it away markedly from Rohit Sharma's outside edge. He made the breakthrough with one of the shortest balls of the morning, banging it in, nipping it away with some extra bounce to kiss the shoulder of Rohit's bat, before celebrating with uncharacteristic aggression, roaring and pumping his fist.
11.25am: Nagraj Gollapudi weighs in
Minutes before the Indian team huddle, India head coach Ravi Shastri walked up to R Ashwin and had a quick, quiet word, Nagraj Gollapudi writes. Shastri then put his arms around Ashwin's shoulders and patted him and walked away. From a distance you would not have guessed what Shastri said: was Ashwin playing his first Test of the Pataudi Trophy? Or was he told, 'sorry'. There was no change in Ashwin's body language as he continue bowling in the side nets. Minutes later he would join the team huddle, but not the group of players who were told they were in and went on to do warm-up drills. Ashwin went back to the side net and continued to bowl at yellow rubber stumps, at times bending them back.
Soon after as the toss happened Ashwin picked up his tracksuit and started to walk back. As he climbed the steps towards the dressing room, he would have heard Kohli respond to Mike Atherton's question as to why India still could not find space for India's best spinner. Would he buy Kohli's explanation especially the point about Jadeja being equally potent against England's four left-handers?
While we won't know the details even if that conversation happens, it has been hard for many on the outside to comprehend Ashwin not being able to find a spot. It wouldn't be far-fetched to think the reason India have more belief in Jadeja is because he has proved to be a more reliable batter than even Rishabh Pant. But Ashwin has a first-class average of nearly 32 in England making 814 runs including three half-centuries in 32 innings. That is similar to Jadeja who has made 566 runs at 31.44 average in 19 innings with five fifties. So Ashwin is clearly no mug with the bat.
Writing in the Telegraph on Thursday, Dinesh Karthik said India should definitely make a place for Ashwin who would bring a "new dimension" to India's gameplans, both with the ball and bat. However, the Indian team management thinks differently.
After the Headingly defeat Kohli categorically ruled out fielding two spinners as he felt that would hurt the balance and then India would only be playing defensively. But Ashwin has shown he can win a Test single-handedly with the ball. It is no doubt tricky being a leader and having to make selections which are not easy. Kohli has immense belief in the Indian fast-bowling attack to take 20 wickets, but without the senior pair of Ishant and Shami, and having not considered Ashwin once again, his words and thoughts might come back to haunt him if the result goes against India at The Oval.
10.55am: An early Pujara sighting
India supporters will be hoping not to see Cheteshwar Pujara until a good while into the morning session, but there is an early sighting - he has been speaking to Sky in the build-up. He went into the third Test under pressure but his second-innings 91 has taken some of the heat off.
"I felt that I was batting well but wasn't able to score big runs," Pujara said. "I've always been confident. I've been getting good starts but I wanted a big one which hadn't happened in a few games so it was really good to get some runs.
"We've been playing on challenging pitches, no doubt about that. There was enough assistance for spinners back home [against England]. Mentally, yes, it's tough when you're not among the runs but you have to be confident that it's a matter of one innings for a batter. I always feel that if you get a good innings then you get good confidence and can always carry on from there.
"We spoke about it as a batting group. It's always challenging here. You have to concentrate hard and the margin of error is really small. We didn't bat well in the last game but that's what you expect when you're playing overseas. You're always challenged but we're a confident group. We've done well overseas whether it's Australia or South Africa, so this team has a lot of confidence playing in overseas conditions."
10.30am: Still no Ashwin...
India stick with the four seamers/one spinner balance: Mohammed Shami has a niggle, Ishant Sharma is left out and Ashwin continues to miss out. "Stubborn," is Warne's assessment. "I would have played Ashwin. You don't pick a side just for the first innings - it will turn - and he's got five Test hundreds."
Virat Kohli suggested that Ravindra Jadeja is a better match-up - despite England having four left-handers - because of their right-arm seamers predominantly bowling over the wicket, creating rough outside the lefties' off stump. "It's something that we thought is a good match-up for Jadeja as well, because mostly all our seamers bowl over the wicket," he said at the toss. "It's a nice little spot for the left-handers as well. I think according to the match-ups, it fits perfectly for our team - plus the balance he is giving us with the bat as well currently." But surely there is room in the side to pick both?
England, meanwhile, bring back Chris Woakes as expected. Ollie Pope plays ahead of Dan Lawrence on his home ground, where he averages a shade over 100 for Surrey in first-class cricket.
10.10am: Ashwin time?
Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice. Three times is a habit. Will India really leave R Ashwin out for the fourth Test in a row? It's a dark, overcast morning in south London which might tempt them to pick an extra seamer instead, but The Oval suits spin more than most grounds in England - although the pitch looks like it has a covering of grass on it.
Ashwin hasn't played in nearly two months, but he took 6 for 27 in his most recent bowl - which was at The Oval, playing for Surrey on a turning pitch in the County Championship. Shane Warne has been pushing for his inclusion on Sky Sports this morning - there's a surprise - but makes an excellent point that Ravindra Jadeja effectively becomes the fourth seamer, or the holding bowler, because of his ability to bowl dry and defensively. We'll find out if India think the same before long.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
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