ENG vs IND : Ben Stokes’ Controversy & India’s Fightback Makes A Memorable Manchester Test

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.

The opening session featured an intriguing battle between the bowlers and batters, with Chris Woakes finding Jaiswal’s edge twice in the first over though both chances fell short of the slips. While Jofra Archer bowled economically and Brydon Carse provided probing spells, the Indian openers gradually found their rhythm with boundaries through pulls and drives.

Woakes particularly challenged Jaiswal, even breaking his bat handle with a sharp delivery, but the left-hander responded confidently with a driven four. The session concluded with Jaiswal getting boundaries and even an upper-cut six off Stokes, ensuring India finished the morning session without loss.

England found their rhythm in the second session, claiming three crucial wickets through persistent bowling and helpful conditions. Woakes, Dawson and Ben Stokes shared the spoils, dismissing Rahul (46), Jaiswal (58), and Shubman Gill (12) respectively as India reached 149/3 at Tea, adding 71 runs in the session. The breakthrough came early in the session when Rahul attempted to punch a Woakes delivery off the back foot, only to edge it to third slip, ending India’s highest opening partnership of the series at 94.

Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his positive approach, reaching his fifty and surpassing 1000 Test runs against England to become the joint second-quickest Indian to achieve this milestone. However, his promising innings ended 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 Ben Stokes struck by trapping Gill lbw as the Indian captain shouldered arms and 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 see India through to Tea without further damage.

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 Ben Stokes for a four to get off the mark. A couple of more boundaries followed – a cut by Sudharsan off Ben Stokes, followed by Jadeja hitting Root straight down the ground.

Crawley, who was outscored by Duckett, hit his straps with two successive fours off Siraj and also survived a review from India after shouldering arms, with replays revealing that the ball was going over the stumps. Kamboj returned and was flicked for a four by Duckett while Crawley played a fine drive past mid-on for a four off Siraj. Duckett was on 43 and Crawley on 33 as both headed back unbeaten at Tea, having brought down the deficit to 281.

Shardul Thakur, who bowled the first over of the final session, found some movement and also got Crawley to edge the ball but it evaded gully and went for a four. Crawley, meanwhile, played a couple of good shots, scoring fours off Bumrah and Thakur. Duckett then got to a 46-ball fifty before punching a Thakur delivery through cover for another four, taking England past 100 in the 19th over.

Soon, Crawley reached a 73-ball fifty with a four off Thakur and went on a boundary-hitting spree, with two fours in another over off Thakur, followed by a six and a four off Ravindra Jadeja in the spinner’s first over.

The partnership finally came to an end as Jadeja got one to turn away from Crawley and found the edge, with KL Rahul taking a sharp low catch at first slip. Duckett, though, continued in his merry ways, targetting Siraj for a string of boundaries as he entered the 90s. But he fell six short of the three-figure mark, edging to the ‘keeper while attempting a cut, giving Kamboj his maiden Test wicket.

However, the inconsistency of India’s debutant showed as he leaked more boundaries with Ollie Pope and Joe Root taking England past 200. India were interested for a bit when Bumrah got one to jag back into Root but ultimately decided not to review. Root played a nice straight drive for a four off Kamboj while Pope saw through the final over of the day from Bumrah, and even struck a four.

England had a strong all-round outing on Day 2 of the fourth Test in Manchester, led by Ben Stokes’ five-wicket haul and a rapid 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. A limping Rishabh Pant fought his way to a gritty fifty, with support from Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, as India added 94 runs to their overnight total before folding for 358.

England’s reply was brisk and commanding, though both openers fell late in the day – Duckett for 94 and Crawley for 84 – with the hosts closing on 225/2, having got their runs at a rate of 4.89.

Day 3 : Joe Root’s 38th Test ton headlines England’s day of dominance

England enjoyed a dominant morning session on Day 3  with Root and Pope extending their overnight stand into a century partnership. Batting under clear skies and on a surface offering little help for bowlers, both batters brought up their half-centuries as England added 107 runs in 28 wicketless overs to reach 332 for 2 at Lunch, just 26 behind India’s first-innings total.

India cycled through their options, opening with Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj before turning to Jasprit Bumrah. While Bumrah occasionally troubled Pope with probing lines, England were largely untroubled. Siraj proved expensive, India burned a review on a hopeful lbw appeal against Root, and Ravindra Jadeja missed a run-out chance – moments that summed up a frustrating session for the visitors.

Joe Root and Pope found regular boundaries and maintained a brisk scoring rate, with Root reaching a few personal milestones during the course of his knock. He became the first batter to score 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford, went past Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis on the list of most Test runs, and registered his 104th fifty-plus score in Tests, moving past Ricky Ponting into second place on that list. Pope, though occasionally challenged by Jadeja and Anshul Kamboj, rotated strike smartly and put away the loose balls as the duo ran India ragged.

After Lunch, England continued to pile on the runs, with Joe Root glancing a leg-side delivery from Jadeja to the fence to bring up more milestones. India struck back briefly through Washington Sundar, who ended the third-wicket stand by getting one to drift and induce an edge from Pope to KL Rahul at slip.

He then dismissed Harry Brook for 3 with another beautiful drifter that had the batter stumped, lifting India’s hopes of a turnaround. Considering the offspinner’s impact, India delayed taking the second new ball until the 91st over, by which time England had moved into the lead.

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. Joe 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 Joe 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 Ben 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 Ben 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.

Ben 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 Ben 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. Ben 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.

Joe Root’s milestone-filled century powered England to a commanding position on Day 3 of the fourth Test in Manchester. During the course of his 38th Test ton, Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers, going past three legendary cricketers, and stitched together two century partnerships – 144 with Ollie Pope for the third wicket and 142 with Ben Stokes for the fifth. Although Stokes retired hurt (and returned later) and Root fell soon after for 150, England closed the day in complete control at 544 for 7, leading by 186 runs.

Day 4 : Shubman Gill-KL Rahul’s defiant partnership leads India’s resolute fightback on Day 4

Ben Stokes led the charge on Day 4  with a brilliant 141 in the morning – his first Test century in over two years – helping the hosts post a mammoth 669. India had hoped to wrap up the tail quickly on a grey Manchester morning, but Ben Stokes had other plans.

After Dawson fell early to Jasprit Bumrah, the English skipper launched a counterattack, reaching his century with a leg glance off Mohammed Siraj and then adding 41 more in just 34 balls. Along the way, Ben Stokes became only the third allrounder in Test history to complete the 7000-run and 200-wicket double. Carse chipped in with a brisk 47 as England attacked both spin and pace, before being bowled out just before Lunch.

The momentum didn’t stop there. With India needing to bat out three overs before the break, Woakes delivered a crushing double-wicket maiden to leave the visitors stunned. Yashasvi Jaiswal was undone by away movement, while Sai Sudharsan fell to indecision, both edging behind on consecutive deliveries. India were yet to get off the mark in their second innings when the damage was done. Gill then survived a close LBW appeal on the hat-trick ball and managed to see out the session.

Gill and Rahul brought some stability to India’s second innings with a composed stand in a wicketless second session after a frenetic three-over burst before Lunch had left them reeling. Gill struck a fluent half-century, and alongside a watchful Rahul, took India to 86/2 at Tea.

England’s seamers, led by Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer, bowled probing lines, drawing multiple lbw appeals and beating the bat often. Archer had a close shout against Gill reviewed early in the session, but the on-field call of not-out stood. Gill also took a blow on the glove, while Rahul was tested by balls jagging in sharply.

Despite the pressure, the pair found release through the occasional boundary. Gill played a series of elegant strokes, including a cover drive and upper cut off Archer. Carse and Woakes continued to ask questions, but England burned a second review when Carse struck Gill on the pad, with replays showing it was missing leg. Gill had a slice of luck when Dawson dropped him at gully, and Rahul too survived a top-edged sweep that landed safely. Gill eventually brought up another fifty in the series as India went into Tea without further damage.

Dawson started with three successive maidens at the start of the final session but the Indian batters were in no hurry, batting with patience as they raised a hundred-run stand. Rahul got past fifty as well, and a few boundaries followed as Archer was hit for three fours. Dawson went over the wicket for an over before getting back around.

England, meanwhile, missed the services of Stokes with the ball, who was having problems with his hamstring although he was on the field. England also tried short-ball tactics with Carse coming around the wicket and bowling back of length deliveries but no damage was done.

Dawson did get one arm ball to sneak in quickly to Gill and nearly trapped him in front, saved only by an inside edge. But that apart, the Indian batters were largely untroubled as they took their partnership past 150. Rahul then struck two fours off Woakes while Gill glanced a Dawson delivery for a boundary. Dawson and Root bowled in tandem before Stumps but they weren’t able to dislodge the third-wicket stand.

KL Rahul and Shubman Gill’s unbroken 174-run partnership ensured two wicketless sessions after England’s commanding show on the fourth morning of the fourth Test in Manchester. Led by a superb knock from their captain Ben Stokes, England took a massive 311-run lead and then rattled India with two early strikes. But Rahul and Gill led a patient fightback as they faced more than 370 deliveries for their partnership that helped India end the day at 174/2, trailing by 137 runs.

Day 5 : Defiant centurions Gill, Jadeja & Sundar eke out hard-fought draw for India with a fighting spirit

The morning session saw Rahul and Gill extend their dogged stand – one that helped India avert a crisis last evening. But on a wearing surface with uneven bounce where some deliveries bounced menacingly high while some others kept perilously low, England continued to pose challenges. Ben Stokes, who did not bowl on Day 4 owing to cramp, looked particularly threatening and handed his side the first breakthrough of the day when he trapped Rahul LBW for 90 with an in-decker that kept treacherously low.

Shubman Gill, meanwhile, survived a couple of close LBW shouts and a blow to his glove en-route to his eighth Test ton. The Indian captain’s resolve, however, wore thin late in the session when he was out caught chasing a wide delivery from Jofra Archer giving England an opening. Jadeja was then dropped by Joe Root at slip very next delivery – a moment England will rue during their reflection as it was the last real chance they would create for the rest of the day.

The Indian pair of Jadeja and Washington shrugged off the morning session’s late jolts and maintained a defiant approach – one that paralleled the earlier efforts of Rahul and Shubman Gill – post lunch while steadily chipping away at England’s lead.

While England’s pacers continued to extract uneven bounce and the spinners some grip and turn out of the footmarks, the merit-based approach of India’s left-handed pair stood out. Despite the ball beating the bat regularly, the duo remained unfazed, taking opportunities to score when they were presented.

With confidence beginning to grow, they began to adopt a more attacking approach, one that was evident when Washington struck a six and a four to bring up his fifty in style while Jadeja celebrated his own fifty with a boundary three balls later.

The duo were a lot sterner at the start of the final session – trading their cautious yet positive approach for a staunchly counter-attacking one. Jadeja, in particular, displayed an obvious shift in mentality when he attacked Liam Dawson twice by charging down the wicket in the second over of the session.

Barring a few hopeful appeals for LBW, England continued to toil unsuccessfully as the day dragged on. With the Indian pair showing no real signs of cracking, Ben Stokes called on Archer for a spell of short bowling – one that yielded no favourable results either. The Indians marched on steadfast with centuries in sight and refused to shake hands when Ben Stokes offered to when the final hour was signalled.

Jadeja and Washington had 89 and 80, respectively, when Stokes offered a draw, but Gill looked out steadfastly through the dressing-room window. It prompted Brook to bowl some filth, and both batters reached three figures off his bowling: Jadeja roared in celebration on reaching his by lofting a straight six, while Washington raised his arms aloft as he sauntered back for two.

An unimpressed England side were forced to bowl on as both Jadeja and Washington shifted into even higher gears with the latter smashing three consecutive boundaries off Root. The entertainment continued as Jadeja reached three-figures with a six after helping himself to the freebies offered by Harry Brook. Washington too would bring up his maiden Test ton in Brook’s following over before the players finally shook hands confirming a draw.

Two defiant stands, first between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill and then between Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, saw India play out just the second draw in Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s Bazball era.

England were still in the game after the first session where they had managed to dismiss both Rahul and Gill but failed to make further inroads as Jadeja and Washington, who reached centuries in the final moments of the Test, showcased exemplary skill and resolve to shut the door on the opposition. It means that the series remains alive when the two teams face each other in the fifth Test at The Oval starting Thursday, July 31.

It made for a strange end to a compelling Test match. Only 24 wickets fell across the five days, and the finish was an anti-climax. But the fraying tempers were the result of India’s doughty resistance across five sessions of determined batting. It seemed unfathomable on Saturday afternoon, but they will head to The Oval believing that they can snatch a series draw.

Presentations and Road Ahead

Shubman Gill the Proud Indian skipper after the draw said : Extremely pleased with the batting effort. Past couple of days we were put under tremendous pressure. It’s all about taking the wicket out of the equation. Day 5 wicket, something is happening, every ball is kind of an event. Wanted to take it ball by ball and take the game as deep as possible, which is what we spoke about.

We thought they (Jadeja and Sundar) batted brilliantly, they were in their 90s, we thought they deserved a century there (about the decision to not shake hands). Every match going till the last session on the last day. So many learnings. Each Test match teaches you something different. It has taught us a lot as a group. Hopefully we can win the next match and draw the series. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how many runs you’ve scored in the past.

Every time you walk wearing the whites of the country, there are some jitters. That tells how much I care playing for the country and how much I love this game. Everytime I bat, I want to play my best and I want to enjoy my batting as much as I can. In the first innings, we did post a good total. But a lot of our batters did get set. Important on these wickets that if one or two batters if they go deep, they go big.

You can really take the game away from the opposition. Unfortunately for us in the first innings it didn’t happen. We were not able to convert those starts into big ones. But pleased with the way we were able to do that in the second innings. Will have to wait and see (about Bumrah) in the Oval Test match. As long as we’re winning the match (at the Oval), I don’t really care about the toss.

Ben Stokes the dejected England skipper and Player of the Match after the draw said : I think when you have a good game as an all-rounder, you sort of assess how that goes by the result at the end of the game. Yeah, obviously I’ll give this all back if we were on the right side of the result that we wanted. (On how his body is feeling at the moment) It’s been a big five, six weeks.

I’ll always try and give everything that I possibly can and you know try and.. I don’t know.. run through a brick wall… I asked the guys up there to run through a brick wall for the team and I’ll always try and do the same to try and lead by example in that sense but yeah bowling, being out in the field all that kind of stuff it is tough work but yeah pretty sore. (On when he picked up the shoulder niggle) Yeah, it’s just that workload, a lot of these things, to be honest.

Obviously you got through a fair few amount of overs. Yeah, just everything obviously starts creeping up on you. But look, I’ll keep trying, keep going and you know. As I always say to all the bowlers, pain is only an emotion. (On not being able to force a win) I think as the game progressed, I think we’ve seen the wicket sort of become easier and easier to bat on.

I think as the game got deeper and deeper, I mean, you look at how difficult it was for the right-handers on that wicket, particularly like this morning, the variable bounce. And then it just didn’t seem like there was that inconsistency of bounce to the left-handers.

You got to give a heap load of credit for the way that Washington and Jadeja came in and played there and they were obviously under a lot of pressure. So to put that partnership together like they did there, I’ve got to give them a lot of credit.

(On England’s batting coming good) Yeah, I thought Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett’s opening partnership was incredibly crucial in the way that we could lay the foundation for the game. That opening partnership, the way that they took the Indian attack on, the rate that they managed to score at, it allowed us to be able to go right with, we’re going to try and bat once and then look to hopefully nowl India out.

It was a great start yesterday with two wickets in the first over, but it was one of those wickets, if you got in, you felt like you were going to be the one to make a mistake to get out. And yeah, it’s been a back and forth series so far. We’ve been throwing punches in, they’ve been throwing punches back at us and it’s just been really high quality cricket.

Two very good teams and I’ve got to give credit to the way that India came out here and performed under the pressure that they were. (On how tough is it to captain on a wicket like this?) Yeah, it is. It’s one of those pitches where you sort of, feel in moments that this is where the game is going to be broken open massively.

Obviously getting that KL wicket this morning, very early on, brings us back into it, everyone starts perking up a bit more. But you always knew that, you know, the quality that India have, if they were able to get themselves in, they were going to be hard to dislodge and they proved that.

When you’re bowling on day five and you’ve got to move away to different plans, different fields, different ways of trying to make wickets, different ways of making batsmen out there in the middle uncomfortable. And we threw absolutely everything at them and they were able to, you know, live up to the pressure that was of another day five test match.

(On India delaying the draw) Yeah, I think all the hard work was done by India. They both (Washi and Jadeja) played incredibly well and it got to that point where there was obviously only one result and there was absolutely no chance I was going to risk any of my big fast bowlers through injuries with one more game to go.

Dawsy (Dawson) just bowled so many overs this game his body started to get a little bit tired and started to cramp up in the legs so I wasn’t risking any of my frontline bowlers for that last half an hour. (Will England field a different bowling attack for the 5th Test?)

Yeah, look, I think even before this test match we got into it, obviously there were those conversations around how much effort and energy has gone in, especially from the bowling department.

Another quick turnaround before The Oval, so we’ll have to use these few days wisely and we’ll just have to check up on everyone and see how they’re going. We’re very lucky at the moment that we’ve got a battery of fast bowlers who we can call at any point in time, so it’ll be assessed over the next couple of days and then we’ll make that decision.

An epic series will be decided at The Oval. England lead 2-1 after 20 tense days of Test cricket but were denied a decisive win by five sessions of doughty, determined batting in which India lost only two wickets. Not even Ben Stokes, battling cramp and a shoulder injury, could pull this one off, and was forced to settle for only the second draw of his captaincy tenure.

India were 1 for 2 at lunch on the fourth day, frazzled after more than 150 overs in the field, and still trailing by over 300 runs. But Shubman Gill’s new-look side underlined their character with two mammoth, match-saving partnerships – Gill put on 188 with KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbroken 203 – to ensure India escaped with a draw.

They can no longer win the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but will travel down to London on Monday battered, bruised and bullish. India’s batters not only saved this match, but ground England’s bowlers down: they spent 257.1 overs in the field in Manchester, including 143 in the second innings, and now face a three-day turnaround before Thursday’s fifth Test.

The finale was farcical: Ben  Stokes offered a draw at the start of the last hour but Gill had no interest, instead allowing his two allrounders to complete their centuries. England were incensed, serving up some 35mph/56kmph lobs, but India’s players celebrated on the balcony as their batters filled their boots.

“It’s going to happen in a flurry, lads,” Ben Duckett had promised his team-mates during the second session. In fact, it never happened at all. It was long established that no captain had ever won a Test match at Old Trafford after winning the toss and choosing to bowl; Stokes asked his team to defy history, but they could not.

Heartbreak at Headingley, heartbreak at Lord’s, and yet a performance with so much heart in Manchester. It’s a monumental effort that could come to define this team going forward under Shubman Gill. Backed into a corner, buried under a mountain of runs, and asked to bat five sessions to save the game, India have done it. And they’ve done it without any drama on a final day that promised to test them to the limit.

England will wonder what went wrong and why the bowling lacked any bite when Stokes didn’t have the ball. The pitch wasn’t entirely flat. There was some uneven bounce right through, and some footmarks to work with too. But some missed chances, some ordinary bowling and a huge amount of skill with the bat has kept India alive in the series going into the final Test. They can’t win it, but they can certainly draw it. And need there be anything said about the merit of a draw after a day like today.

Talk about multiple heroes in one Test. This one had some incredible performances with Ben Stokes at the top of the list. A five-for with the ball and a hundred with the bat despite bits being chipped off him. A player whose magic can’t be explained by numbers alone. Even on this final day, he threatened to break the match open with his wearing body. The wicket of KL Rahul in his first spell, even before the second new ball, brought an end to an incredible partnership that had denied the hosts for two whole sessions yesterday.

But, as it turned out, today wasn’t about Stokes. The story was about a lineup under tremendous pressure standing their ground led by captain Shubman Gill. He scored a hundred, Rahul was incredible for his 90, and then Jadeja and Washington put the finishing touches with hundreds of their own. It was England who had enough of it by the end, wanting to call it off but only to be kept on the field till the left-handed duo completed their milestones.

Say what you will about the pitch, the magnitude of this effort cannot be downplayed. India were under a lot of pressure after their bowling effort on days two and three. It won’t be unfair to say that their selection calls on this tour have been defensive, going for extra batting depth instead of picking their best bowling attack. But one thing you can’t take away from this team is the fight they’ve shown right through the series.

Results haven’t gone their way despite being the better team across many metrics. But they’ve never thrown in the towel, and to bat five sessions for a draw after losing two wickets in the first over, is sensational. The happenings over the last five days have taken quite a toll on both bowling attacks, and with the next Test in just three days, a few changes beckon. For now, it’s time to soak in the aftermath of another gripping Test.

India did remarkably well to recover from 0 for 2 in the second innings to post 425 for 4. Shubman Gill, Jadeja and Sundar hit a hundred each to help India deny England a win and keep the series alive. Despite trailing 1-2, India have a chance to level the series and retain the trophy when the two sides meet in the fifth Test at Oval, London on July 31.

Also Read: ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball