LONDON, UK— Vikram Doraiswami, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, praised the Indian Men’s Cricket Team for their “remarkable fightback” in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, which ended on Monday, July 28, 2025. On Sunday, July 27, the match for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended in a hard-fought draw. This kept India’s hopes of drawing the series alive.
Doraiswami spoke during a function at the Indian High Commission in London, where the team was present. He praised the players’ strength and determination, saying that it shows the spirit of a “new India.”
Doraiswami said, “The Manchester Test was a great comeback by the Indian team.” He said with a smile, “In the spirit of good friendship, we may henceforth always call batsmen’s pitches English pitches instead of sub-continental ones… We got to see Test cricket played the way it should be… People from the United States can never comprehend why you think a tie is a terrific outcome after playing a game for five days. They don’t play cricket, which is why… The battling spirit that Team India has now is a beautiful example of the fighting spirit that the new India we are all lucky enough to represent here has.
The High Commissioner praised two players in particular, giving “special props” to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for their outstanding play in the Test match. He said that the team is an inspiration for Indian people living abroad and cricket enthusiasts throughout the world.
“Big thanks to Ravindra Jadeja, who is always reliable, and also to Washington Sundar for scoring his first ton… Doraiswami said, “No matter what happens in the next match, we couldn’t be more proud of who you are, what you stand for, and what you mean to all of us.”
India’s second innings saw great centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington Sundar (101 not out), which helped them get the draw. The two of them put up an unbroken 203-run partnership for the fifth wicket, which saw India bat for more than five sessions and close Day 5 at 425/4. This amazing feat came after England had taken a huge 311-run lead in the first innings against India.
India was bowled out for 358 runs in their first innings after England won the toss and chose to bowl. Sai Sudharsan was the top scorer. England then scored an impressive 669 runs, thanks to centuries from Joe Root (150) and England captain Ben Stokes (141).
India’s second innings began with a disastrous start, as they lost two wickets in the first over. But KL Rahul (87) and Shubman Gill (103), who opened the batting, played all of Day 4 and set the stage for India’s comeback. Their hard work, along with the important unbroken partnership between Jadeja and Sundar, put an end to England’s dreams of a late comeback.
The Shubman Gill-led team is still 88 runs behind England’s first-innings total, which means that England kept their advantage in the first innings and won the moral win in terms of overall run-scoring domination. However, given the circumstances, the draw held significant importance. After losing the first game at Trent Bridge, India tied the series in Edgbaston. England then won a close game at Lord’s before the hard-fought tie at Old Trafford.
England is up in the series 2-1, thus the Asian team can yet tie the five-match series going into the last Test at The Oval.
Quick Scorecard:
India: 358 and 425/4 (Ravindra Jadeja 107, Washington Sundar 101, Shubman Gill 103, Chris Woakes 2/67)
England: 669 (Joe Root 150, Ben Stokes 141, and Ravindra Jadeja 4/143)