England captain Ben Stokes' historic five-wicket haul, which came after an eight-year wait, and Rishabh Pant's half-century despite having a broken toe were highlights of Day 2 of the 4th Test in Manchester. This was nicely countered by England's openers, who let their bazball show and ended the day at 225/2 at stumps.
Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja made their way to the middle. It was a strong start for England as they dismissed the in-form Ravindra Jadeja, who edged a Jofra Archer delivery and was caught at second slip by Harry Brook. India lost half their side as Washington Sundar joined the middle.
Thakur and Sundar stitched a pivotal partnership, finding boundaries at regular intervals and putting together a 48-run stand. Thakur was then caught at gully by Ben Duckett of Ben Stokes bowling, who broke the partnership. Thakur’s pivotal knock of 41(88) helped India reach the 300-run mark.
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Pant’s Grit Shines Despite Injury as India Adds Crucial Runs Before All-Out at 358
As Thakur left, the moment of the day arrived: Rishabh Pant walked in with his bat and a broken toe. The Manchester crowd applauded loudly, acknowledging Pant’s grit and determination as he came out to bat. Though he looked uncomfortable, Pant stood his ground and settled into a defensive game.
India’s tail, along with Pant, added another 34 runs before Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer cleaned up the tail. India finished their innings strongly at 358 all out. Ben Stokes was the man of the moment, walking out with the match ball after his 5/72 in the first innings.
After a rain interruption, the surface was well rolled and prepared for England’s innings. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley opened the batting with the sun shining high in Manchester.
England Openers Build Strong Partnership Before Jadeja Breaks Through
Jasprit Bumrah began the bowling, and Anshul Kamboj was given the second over of the innings, which was his maiden over. England’s openers attacked the debutant while defending Bumrah. Once settled, they took the attack to Bumrah, and then Mohammed Siraj put India on the backfoot as the hosts scored nearly 5 runs per over in the second session.
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The openers added a 100-run partnership in just 20 overs, with Ben Duckett bringing up his third half-century of the series and Zak Crawley his second. The partnership continued as the pitch looked better for batting, and the duo added their second 150-run partnership of the series.
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Frustrated, Shubman Gill brought in Ravindra Jadeja, and the left-arm spinner took just four overs to bring a breakthrough, dismissing Crawley caught at slip by KL Rahul. The 166-run stand was broken as Crawley left after scoring 84(113), his best score in this series.
England Finish Day 2 at 225/2
Jadeja’s breakthrough led to another wicket, as Anshul Kamboj ended his debut spell by dismissing Ben Duckett, who fell just 6 runs short of a century. England lost their second wicket for 197 runs. However, Joe Root and Ollie Pope managed to finish the session without further damage as England ended Day 2 on 225/2 at stumps.
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