India save 4th Test against England in Manchester: Key takeaways
What's the story
India managed to draw the 4th Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, on July 27. The visitors, who were staring at a 311-run deficit, were down to 0/2. However, KL Rahul and centurion Shubman Gill defied the odds with a 188-run stand on Day 5. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar denied England a breakthrough thereafter. Both players slammed respective hundreds.
Summary
How the match panned out
India racked up 358 after England elected to field under cloudy conditions in Manchester. The innings saw notable contributions from the top and middle order, with Rishabh Pant's injury being a talking point. Ben Stokes took a fifer. Tons from Joe Root and Stokes responded with a mammoth 669 thereafter. India, facing a 311-run deficit, were 425/4 when the two teams shook hands.
Team combination
No Kuldeep Yadav!
The Indian team management once again received flak for tweaking the combination. India included debutant Anshul Kamboj, Shardul Thakur, and Sai Sudharsan for the 4th Test. Skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir once again went against picking a specialist spinner in the form of Kuldeep Yadav. The wrist-spinner could have kept the English batters at bay on the uneven Manchester wicket.
Bumrah
India's bleak pace attack
India's pace attack looked bleak and jaded despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. The Manchester Test saw the average bowling speed of Bumrah plunge drastically. He hardly bowled at over 138kph. This was also the case with debutant Kamboj, who replaced the injured Akash Deep. Kamboj, known for his seam movement, was picked ahead of Prasidh Krishna. The latter played the first two Tests.
Rishabh Pant
Pant shines despite fractured toe
Pant's valiant knock despite suffering a foot fracture was lauded by the Manchester crowd. Pant was hit on his foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes's yorker on Day 1. The ball hit his front boot, and he was taken off the field in a mini-car. Pant made a brave attempt to bat again and scored a half-century.
Sudharsan
Has Sudharsan sealed his spot?
Batter Sai Sudharsan seems to have cemented his spot at number three for The Oval Test. Sudharsan, who replaced Karun Nair in Manchester, scored a defiant half-century in the first innings. He showed nerves initially but ended up scoring a 151-ball 61 (7 fours). Although Sudharsan recorded a golden duck in the second innings, he shall be backed for the final Test.
Stokes
Stokes leads from the front
Stokes has truly led England from the front in the ongoing series. His long and impactful spells have been noteworthy. At Old Trafford, he toiled with the ball despite battling niggles. This resulted in his first Test fifer in nearly two years. Stokes then shattered multiple records with an incredible century. He is a strong contender to claim the player-of-the-series award.
Jadeja
India gain from Jadeja's all-round skills
If Stokes made his presence felt across fronts, India were bolstered by Ravindra Jadeja's all-round attributes. The latter took four wickets in what was an ardous first innings for Team India. In the third innings, Jadeja played the savior with the bat. India were in trouble after losing Shubman Gill at 222/4. He added a double-century stand with Sundar thereafter.
Takeaways
A look at other key takeaways
KL Rahul's resistance in both innings (46 and 90) made headlines. He played 328 balls in the match. A 166-run opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett laid the foundation for England's huge total. Joe Root broke a ton of records with his 38th Test century. Notably, Shardul Thakur bowled only 11 overs in England's only innings.