Tea: India 258 & 86-2 (Gill 52, Rahul 30, Woakes 2-25) trail England 669 by 225 runs
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul guided India through an exacting middle session at Old Trafford, keeping the tourists alive after Chris Woakes had removed both openers without a run on the board. Their unbroken stand of 86 ensured no further damage before tea on day four, yet India still face a deficit of 225.
England began the morning on 576-7 and pushed on to 669, Ben Stokes converting his overnight 108 into a commanding 141. The captain chose not to bowl in India’s second innings, perhaps mindful of a heavy workload that already includes a five-wicket haul on the first day. “My job is to set the tone, whether with bat or ball,” Stokes said afterwards, while conceding that “back-to-back Tests take a bit out of you”.
Key moment
With 15 minutes remaining before lunch, Woakes pounced. From around the wicket he swung one into Yashasvi Jaiswal and found the edge for a sharp low catch at first slip. Two balls later Sai Sudharsan, fatigued after 157 overs in the field, offered no stroke to a short, wide delivery and nicked to second slip. “You always fancy a nibble before lunch in Manchester; the ball can do a bit,” Woakes told Sky Sports.
Gill’s measured response
Gill, reprieved on nought when Liam Dawson grassed a difficult chance at gully, settled quickly. By the break he had reached his fourth fifty of the series, overtaking Virat Kohli’s 655 runs against England in 2016 and eyeing Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record of 732 in a single rubber. “The pitch is still pretty good if you apply yourself,” he said during the interval. “Our job is to bat as long as possible.”
Rahul, returning to the top order after injury, was equally composed. He drove the seamers straight and used soft hands to keep the slips out of play. “KL brings calmness,” batting coach Vikram Rathour noted. “That rubs off on the dressing-room.”
Stokes joins elite company
Stokes’ century ended a run of 35 innings without three figures and placed him alongside Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only players with 7,000 Test runs and 200 wickets. His 141, compiled in 256 balls with 17 fours and two sixes, propelled England to their fifth-highest total.
Lower-order flourish
Mark Wood’s breezy 43 and Dawson’s unbeaten 35 added 97 for the ninth wicket, forcing India’s attack to toil for 157 overs. Ravindra Jadeja bowled 44 of them, returning 4-178, while Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the seamers, his old ball reverse swinging late in the innings.
What next?
India need graft and, ideally, time lost to rain to escape defeat. England require eight wickets on a wearing surface that is beginning to show variable bounce. Former skipper Michael Vaughan summed it up on Test Match Special: “If India bat two sessions tomorrow, they’ll believe; if England get the ball reversing, this could finish quickly.”
A long road ahead for Gill, Rahul and company—but, for one session at least, they showed India are still in the fight.
