July 27, 2025, in Manchester, UK On Day 4 of the Fourth Test against England, India showed amazing strength. They bounced back from early problems in their second innings owing to an undefeated 174-run partnership between KL Rahul and Captain Shubman Gill. Even though the visitors fought back hard, they are still in a tough spot. They are 137 runs behind England with one day left to play after the hosts scored a huge 669 in their first innings, giving them a strong 311-run lead.
Day 4: India’s Story of Redemption
India’s second innings got off to a bad start when openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarshan both got out for zero runs in the first over. India was in shock at 1/2 at lunch, with KL Rahul on 1* and Shubman Gill still to score.
But in the second and third sessions, everything changed when Rahul and Gill formed a patient but aggressive alliance. India had scored 174 runs and lost 2 wickets by the end of Day 4. KL Rahul was still at the crease with 87 runs, and Shubman Gill was at 78 runs. The two of them scored 126 runs in the last session without losing a wicket, which gave India a tiny edge in the game.
Shubman Gill showed off his great form by scoring his eighth Test half-century and fourth against England in just 77 balls. He hit eight beautiful boundaries over his innings, showing amazing control and intent. KL Rahul was the perfect partner, staying calm and backing him while getting his second fifty of the series in the 43rd over. Rahul also reached 9000 runs in all formats of international cricket at this point. Rahul and Gill’s partnership progressed gradually, reaching 100 runs in the 40th over and 150 runs in the 55th over.
England’s Masterclass in Batting in the First Innings
In the first innings, England’s skipper Ben Stokes led from the front with a great century, which helped his team score a huge 669 runs. This huge score is England’s second-highest against India, behind their 710/7d at Edgbaston in 2011.
Stokes (77*) and Liam Dawson (21*) were at the crease when England started Day 4 at 544/7. Jasprit Bumrah got India off to a good start by getting rid of Dawson for 26 runs. Stokes, on the other hand, kept going and got his 14th Test century in the 146th over. Stokes did something amazing: he got a five-wicket haul while bowling in the first innings, making him only the seventh captain in Test history to get a century and a five-wicket haul in the same match. He also scored 7000 runs in the longest version of the game throughout his innings.
Ravindra Jadeja finally got rid of Stokes, who had a great 141. Jadeja then promptly took care of Brydon Carse, who had scored 47 runs in just 54 balls. England’s innings ended at 669, which gave them a huge advantage of 311 runs.
Weird Statistics for India
The Indian bowlers had a terrible time in the first innings, with four of them giving up more than 100 runs, which is not something that happens very often for the squad. This is the 25th time India has done this in Tests, with the latest time being more than ten years ago on the 2014/15 tour of Australia.
Also, for only the seventh time in Test cricket history, a team was able to take a lead of more than 300 runs in the first innings after giving up more than 350 runs when bowling first. Last year, England’s biggest advantage in this kind of situation was 267 runs against Pakistan in Multan.
Looking forward to Day 5
On the fifth and last day, India has a lot of work to do. To save the game, their other batters will have to work very hard. Given the situation, getting through the day and getting a draw would be a big deal. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill will be the main emphasis, and the rest of the batting order will need to step up and help out.