England and India exchanged fierce competition during an engaging opening day of the fourth Test in Manchester. India established a few solid partnerships and featured two half-centurions – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan – yet England executed crucial strikes to keep the day’s play balanced. Nevertheless, India encountered a major issue as Rishabh Pant required assistance to leave the field in the final session following a hit to his right foot, with the visitors concluding at 264/4.
England captain Ben Stokes won his fourth consecutive toss of the series and elected to field, with Liam Dawson replacing Shoaib Bashir as their only change, while India made three alterations bringing in Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur and also handed Anshul Khamboj his maiden Test cap.
Yashasvi Jaiswal gets the batting order going
The opening session showcased a captivating contest between the bowlers and batters, with Chris Woakes managing to find Jaiswal’s edge twice in the first over, although both opportunities fell short of the slips. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer bowled with great economy and Brydon Carse delivered probing spells, allowing the Indian openers to gradually establish their rhythm with boundaries through pulls and drives. Woakes notably challenged Jaiswal, even breaking the handle of his bat with a sharp delivery, yet the left-hander confidently responded with a driven four. The session concluded with Jaiswal hitting boundaries and even executing an upper-cut six off Stokes, ensuring that India ended the morning session without losing a wicket.
In the second session, England found their rhythm, securing three vital wickets through relentless bowling and favorable conditions. Woakes, Dawson, and Stokes shared the wickets, dismissing Rahul (46), Jaiswal (58), and Shubman Gill (12) respectively, as India reached 149/3 at Tea, having added 71 runs during the session. The breakthrough occurred early in the session when Rahul attempted to punch a delivery from Woakes off the back foot, only to edge it to third slip, thereby ending India’s highest opening partnership of the series at 94.
Jaiswal maintained his aggressive approach, reaching his fifty and surpassing 1000 Test runs against England, making him the joint second-quickest Indian to achieve this milestone. However, his promising innings came to an end when Dawson induced an edge to slip shortly after the spinner’s introduction. The rebuilding efforts of Sai Sudharsan and Gill showed initial promise with boundaries off Dawson, but Stokes struck by trapping Gill lbw as the Indian captain shouldered arms, which also cost his team a review. Sudharsan, who survived a dropped catch by Jamie Smith and a near-miss to leg slip, partnered with Rishabh Pant to guide India through to Tea without incurring further damage.
Rishabh Pant gets gravely injured while batting
England pacers targetted Sudharsan with short-pitched deliveries at the start of the third session but the No.3 batter was up to the task, even pulling Archer for a couple of boundaries. Pant then decided to go on the attack, executing a sweep off Archer before dispatching a Carse delivery over long-on for a six, getting past 1000 Test runs in England in the process. The fourth wicket pair took their stand past 50 and helped India past 200, even as England were given an official warning for taking too much time between overs.
Pant sliced one off the outer half of the bat for a four off Dawson before surviving an England review when he was struck on the boot by Woakes attempting a reverse-sweep. But Pant was in a lot of pain with a swelling on his right foot and was eventually helped off the field by an ambulance cart. Sudharsan then got to his fifty with a boundary through cover off Root, while Ravindra Jadeja edged Stokes for a four to get off the mark. A couple of more boundaries followed – a cut by Sudharsan off Stokes, followed by Jadeja hitting Root straight down the ground.
Stokes’ persistence with short-pitched ball to Sudharsan finally paid off when the left-hander top-edged a pull to fine leg, getting out to the England captain for the third time this series. Thakur walked out ahead of Washington Sundar and punched a Stokes delivery past point for a four. During another Stokes over, with the second new ball around the corner, Jadeja appeared to point out that the light didn’t appear great, and the umpires were also seen having a discussion. England continued with spin even after the second new ball was due, and Jadeja struck a four off Dawson before the players left the field for poor light with less than 10 minutes left for Stumps, with 115 runs coming in the last session.
SCORECARD: India 264/4 (Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, KL Rahul 46; Ben Stokes 2-47, Chris Woakes 1-43, Liam Dawson 1-45) vs England.
