Indian Cricket Team finds itself in a must-win scenario as they take on England in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Trailing 1-2 in the series, India needs to win both of the remaining matches to clinch the series victory.
India had lost the first match in Leeds by five wickets, but they made a big comeback in the second game, beating England by 336 runs at Edgbaston. India lost the third test match at Lord’s by a narrow margin of 22 runs
Nitish Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series, while Akash Deep will also miss the fourth Test. In their absence, Anshul Kamboj is likely to make his debut, stepping in for Akash Deep, and Shardul Thakur is expected to replace Nitish Reddy. India is also considering a change in the batting lineup, with Sai Sudharsan potentially coming in for Karun Nair.
Meanwhile, England has confirmed their playing XI. The only change sees Liam Dawson return to the side in place of Shoaib Bashir, who has been ruled out due to injury.
England Squad: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan , Shubman Gill (c) , Rishabh Pant (wk) , Ravindra Jadeja , Washington Sundar , Shardul Thakur , Anshul Kamboj , Jasprit Bumrah , Mohammed Siraj
Stumps were called early in Manchester due to bad light, capping off a gripping first day of the Test. India started strong with a wicketless first session, but England clawed back after lunch. Sudharsan hit a maiden Test fifty, while Pant’s injury halted India’s momentum late in the day.
Soon after Rishabh Pant was forced to retire hurt, Sai Sudharsan fell to Ben Stokes’ short-ball tactic, mistiming a pull that went straight to Brydon Carse at fine leg. He walks back visibly disappointed after a gritty 61 off 151 balls, a century looked well within reach. Interestingly, India have opted to send in Shardul Thakur at No. 7 ahead of Washington Sundar. Meanwhile, England have chosen to delay taking the second new ball, with Liam Dawson continuing into the 81st over. It appears the umpires had a word with Stokes about deteriorating light, prompting the skipper to stick with spin for the remainder of the day, perhaps to maintain the over rate as well.
Rishabh Pant has suffered a serious injury after being struck on the toe by a delivery from Chris Woakes. The incident occurred during the fourth ball of the 68th over, as Pant attempted a reverse-sweep. He was visibly in pain, with images showing a swollen foot and bleeding, before being taken off the field in an on-field ambulance. This is a major setback for India, as Pant and Sudharsan had built a strong 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Ravindra Jadeja now comes to the crease to continue the innings.
Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant have taken charge of India’s recovery mission after the team lost three wickets before the Tea break on Day 1 at Old Trafford. The pair resumed play looking to stabilise the innings, but England missed a golden opportunity late in the second session. Jamie Smith, keeping wicket, dropped a straightforward catch down the leg side off a Ben Stokes delivery, giving Sudharsan a crucial lifeline. The missed chance could prove costly as the young left-hander and the experienced Pant aim to rebuild India’s innings in challenging conditions.
India’s innings saw a dramatic turn during the 48th over when England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith dropped a straightforward leg-side catch off Sai Sudharsan, denying Ben Stokes a crucial wicket. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (57) and KL Rahul (46) had earlier laid a solid foundation with a 94-run partnership before KL Rahul and Yashavi Jaiswal got out. Ben Stokes then removed captain Shubman Gill for 12, leaving India three down. With England’s bowlers threatening and conditions still favoring the seamers, the dropped catch gave India a vital opening to rebuild through Sudharsan and Pant’s gritty partnership.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s promising knock came to an end on 58 as he edged a front-foot defensive shot straight to first slip for a simple catch. Despite the dismissal, Jaiswal made history by becoming the first Indian opener in 5 decades to score a fifty-plus score at Old Trafford, matching Sunil Gavaskar’s 58 in 1974.
Yashasvi Jaiswal brings up a hard-fought half-century with a quick single. There was a chance for a direct hit at the keeper’s end, but Sai Sudharsan was safely in. It’s been a gritty and mature knock from Jaiswal, just the kind India needed in this tense chase. He’ll be eager to carry on and see this through.
India suffered their first setback of the morning session as KL Rahul fell for 46, edging one off Chris Woakes shortly after lunch. The delivery from Chris Woakes forced Rahul into playing away from his body, resulting in a thick edge that was safely pouched by Zak Crawley in the slips. With Rahul’s dismissal, Sai Sudharsan has joined Yashasvi Jaiswal at the crease. KL Rahul’s knock was composed and well-paced, helping lay a solid foundation before his untimely dismissal. His 46-run innings featured some elegant strokeplay and excellent shot selection before Woakes found the outside edge to break the opening stand.
India is approaching the 100-run mark with both openers looking solid. KL Rahul is inching closer to his half-century, showing great composure, while Yashasvi Jaiswal continues to offer strong support at the other end with an equally steady knock.
India enjoyed a strong opening session in the Manchester Test, with both openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal returning unbeaten. England bowled with discipline, consistently hitting the right channels and testing the outside edge, particularly troubling Jaiswal. Despite the pressure, Rahul appeared more composed, while Jaiswal showed maturity by curbing his natural aggression and settling in. India went to lunch at 78 for no loss in 26 overs, laying a steady foundation on a challenging surface.
KL Rahul achieved a significant milestone during India’s ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. He equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s record, becoming only the second Indian opener to score over 1,000 runs in overseas Tests. After being invited to bat first, Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave India a solid start, laying a strong foundation for the innings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has broken his bat while defending a sharp short ball from Chris Woakes. The ball struck high on the blade, snapping the handle in the process. Jaiswal has signaled for a new bat and play is momentarily paused.
India: 33/0 (12 overs)
India have lost the toss and have been asked to bat first in overcast conditions. The team has made three changes to their line-up: Karun Nair has been replaced by Sai Sudharsan, while Anshul Kamboj makes his Test debut.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has named his preferred XI for the fourth Test against England, notably dropping Kuldeep Yadav. He also left out Karun Nair, who has scored just 131 runs at an average of 21.83 in the series. In Nair’s place, Manjrekar has backed Sai Sudharsan to reclaim the No. 3 spot. Sudharsan, who debuted earlier in the series at Headingley, had scores of 0 and 30 in his first match.
The toss for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, is scheduled for 3 PM IST.
Here are some of the memes on X regarding the 4th Test match between India and England
England have named their XI for the upcoming Test, bringing in Liam Dawson to replace the injured Shoaib Bashir. This marks Dawson’s return to Test cricket after nearly seven years, adding spin variety and batting depth. India, on the other hand, must decide on a third seamer. While Jasprit Bumrah is a confirmed starter, the spot vacated by the injured Akash Deep will be contested between Prasidh Krishna and Anshul Kamboj. The final call could influence the balance of India’s bowling attack.
Given the predicted overcast weather, Old Trafford’s conditions and past performance indicate that pace bowlers will benefit more from it than spinners. While spinners average close to 40, pacers have claimed 477 wickets at an average below 30 since 2000. There have only been four successful fourth-inning run chases, with the greatest being 294 runs, indicating that chasing is still difficult. Teams that win the toss are therefore anticipated to choose to bat first.
