Joe Root’s century, filled with milestones, propelled England to a dominant position on Day 3 of the fourth Test in Manchester. Throughout his 38th Test century, Root ascended to second place on the all-time list of Test run-scorers, surpassing three legendary cricketers, and formed two century partnerships – 144 runs with Ollie Pope for the third wicket and 142 runs with Ben Stokes for the fifth. Despite Stokes retiring hurt (only to return later) and Root being dismissed shortly after for 150, England concluded the day firmly in control at 544 for 7, with a lead of 186 runs.
Joe Root and Ollie Pope's batting tale
England had a commanding morning session as Root and Pope transformed their overnight partnership into a century stand. Batting under clear skies and on a pitch that provided minimal assistance to the bowlers, both batsmen reached their half-centuries while England accumulated 107 runs in 28 overs without losing a wicket, bringing their total to 332 for 2 at Lunch, just 26 runs shy of India’s first-innings score.
India explored various bowling options, starting with Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj before bringing in Jasprit Bumrah. Although Bumrah occasionally posed challenges for Pope with his accurate lines, England faced little difficulty overall. Siraj was costly, and India wasted a review on a hopeful lbw appeal against Root, while Ravindra Jadeja missed a chance for a run-out—events that encapsulated a frustrating session for the visitors.
Root and Pope consistently found the boundary and maintained a rapid scoring pace, with Root achieving several personal milestones during his innings. He became the first player to score 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford, surpassed Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis on the all-time Test runs list, and recorded his 104th fifty-plus score in Tests, moving ahead of Ricky Ponting into second place on that list. Pope, despite facing occasional challenges from Jadeja and Anshul Kamboj, skillfully rotated the strike and capitalized on loose deliveries as the pair exhausted the Indian bowlers.
Following Lunch, England continued to accumulate runs, with Root glancing a leg-side delivery from Jadeja to the boundary, marking additional milestones. India briefly retaliated through Washington Sundar, who ended the third-wicket partnership by inducing an edge from Pope to KL Rahul at slip. He then dismissed Harry Brook for 3 with another well-executed delivery that resulted in a stumping, raising India’s hopes for a comeback. Given the offspinner’s influence, India postponed taking the second new ball until the 91st over, by which point England had taken the lead.
Ben Stokes enters the game as Root gets his ton
Bumrah bowled just one over with the new ball before walking off the field, returning later but unable to bowl again before Tea as per the rules. Siraj also hobbled off after a brief spell, compounding India’s problems. Root carried on unfazed, bringing up his 38th Test century with a glance off Kamboj, surpassing Steve Smith for most Test tons against India (12). By the time Tea was called, England had powered their way to 432 for 4, leading by 74 runs, with Root also going past Ponting to move up to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers when he reached 120.
When he left the field late in the second session, Bumrah had tripped on the stairs and seemed to have some issue with his ankle. But he started the proceedings in the final session, with Thakur bowling from the other end. Both Root and Stokes collected a couple of boundaries as they extended their partnership past 100 and also the lead past 100, although the England captain was seen holding his left leg with some issue. Washington came back on to partner Bumrah for a while, and then Jadeja was also introduced. But they were unable to make any inroads as Stokes went on to register his first half-century of the series, capping a strong all-round performance after his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Stokes looked to accelerate as he took on Jadeja and Washington, playing a reverse-sweep and a pull off the spinners for two fours. Siraj was brought back and he went short at both batters, only to be hit for a four by Stokes, who appeared to be cramping up and struggling to run. He eventually retired hurt, limping up the stairs to the dressing room. Root went on to bring up his 16th 150-plus score in Tests before Jadeja got one to spin away from him to have him stumped, only for the second time in the batter’s career.
Jamie Smith and Liam Dawson took England past 500 and the lead past 150 before Bumrah returned and had the wicketkeeper-batter caught behind for his first wicket. Dawson then added 13 with Chris Woakes before the latter was bowled by Siraj, who also picked up his first wicket. Stokes returned in the fag end of the day but he wasn’t looking fully fit, hobbling as he tried to run. But he remained unbeaten along with Dawson at Stumps, seeing off overs from Bumrah, Jadeja and Siraj.
SCORECARD: India 358 trail England 544/7 (Joe Root 150, Ben Duckett 94, Zak Crawley 84, Ben Stokes 77*, Ollie Pope 71; Washington Sundar 2-57, Ravindra Jadeja 2-117) by 186 runs.
