India shut the door on England with a stubborn fifth-wicket stand worth 203, finishing 423 for 4 and banking a draw at Old Trafford that keeps the series alive at 1-2. The key figures were Ravindra Jadeja, 109, and Washington Sundar, 101, both reaching three figures only after declining Ben Stokes’ invitation to end the game once the mandatory final hour began.
“ It was up to the boys,” Shubman Gill said, a smile hinting at the obvious. “I thought they both batted brilliantly, both were in their 90s. We thought they deserved a century there.”
The conversation between captains came at 386 for 4, India already safe but Stokes keen to protect weary bowlers ahead of a Test starting in four days. “ We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could … but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers,” Stokes told the BBC. “ The only other person who actually has any bowling workload in them is Harry Brook … I said don’t do anything daft: don’t pull a side, don’t pull a hamstring.”
Facts first
• Series score-line: England 2, India 1 with one to play
• Match position at handshake: India 423 for 4, lead 77
• Unbroken partnership: 203 (Jadeja 109, Washington 101)
• Overs bowled by England in the match: 211.5
Why bat on?
The decision was Jadeja’s and Washington’s rather than Gill’s. Both sat in the nineties, a milestone away from a personal landmark in tough English conditions. Head coach Gautam Gambhir backed them. “ If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, wouldn’t they deserve a hundred? … If someone has the opportunity to get his first Test hundred, wouldn’t you allow him to do it? They weather the storm. It’s up to them.”
Stokes didn’t pretend to enjoy the extra forty-odd minutes, yet he acknowledged the quality. “ The knock that those two played was very, very good … that partnership was massive. You hold your hands up – they played incredibl.” He swallowed the final consonant, perhaps fatigued by the 200-plus overs his side had spent in the dirt.
How the draw was earned
England had opened the door by declaring on the fourth evening, setting India 346 with close to a day and a session to bat. The tourists stumbled to 28 for 2 before Gill and Virat Kohli steadied things. When Kohli fell early on day five, the pitch had slowed but the ball was reversing; England sensed a squeeze. Jadeja met it with soft hands, Washington with a naturally straight blade. Neither rushed, both punished over-pitch. The new ball after tea slid away harmlessly, Chris Woakes the only seamer to threaten swing for more than a spell.
Tactical threads
• India left out a specialist batter to lengthen the bowling, but still piled on runs – a small win for the think-tank.
• England banked on spin late in the game; Joe Root sent down 29 overs, more than any seamer bar Woakes.
• Stokes’ draw offer echoed a similar scene in Sydney 2023, only that time Pat Cummins shook hands.
A quick turnaround
The surface for the final Test at The Oval is expected to be firmer, which is part of Stokes’ concern. Mark Wood has bowled 49 overs across two innings here; Jimmy Anderson 42. Even the inexhaustible Ben Foakes looked stiff behind the stumps. England will monitor all three but, as Stokes put it, “I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers.”
Individual notes
Jadeja’s second hundred in England underlines his quiet evolution from lower-order dasher to bona-fide all-rounder. Washington’s first, on return from ankle surgery, is arguably sweeter; his previous best of 96* at Brisbane three years ago remained a talking point until today. Both men had scored Championship runs for Surrey earlier in the summer, a stint that gave them a feel for English pace, bounce, and that ever-present wobble seam.
England still lead
For all the goodwill around India’s fightback, the hosts hold the whip hand. A drawn series would be a disappointment for Stokes’ group after two dominant wins, yet the gap has narrowed. India’s dressing-room knows it; you could hear the whoops when Washington cut Shoaib Bashir for four to reach three figures.
Lessons?
England: workload management, particularly for Wood and Anderson. India: top-order resilience remains an issue, though Kohli’s half-century hints at rhythm. The ball of the match was perhaps Ollie Robinson’s nip-backer that flattened Gill, a reminder that seam will decide the series.
The end felt slightly anticlimactic – no tense finish, no great chase – but it was honest Test cricket. Achievement acknowledged, risk weighed, hands shaken. Oval next, where at least one side will have to do more than protect what they already have.
