Manchester, UK— In the upcoming Fourth Test against England in Manchester, Team India gave up more than 500 runs away from home for the first time in nine years. This is a bad sign for head coach Gautam Gambhir. After choosing to bowl first and limiting India to 358 runs in their first innings, England finished Day Three with an impressive 544/7, thanks to half-centuries from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Ben Stokes, as well as a historic century from Joe Root. Root’s huge performance also moved him ahead of Australian great Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-scorer ever.
The last time India gave up more than 500 runs away from home was in 2015, during the Sydney Test against Australia. The hosts declared at 572/7, with David Warner and Steve Smith both scoring centuries. Since then, England has scored more over 500 runs against India in Tests three more times, all on Indian soil: 537 runs in Rajkot in 2016, 578 runs in Chennai in 2021, and now the current total in Manchester. This recent performance away from home shows a worrying trend for India.
England’s Strong Batting Performance
On Day Three, England started with a score of 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) at the crease. The two immediately created a critical century combination, building on the good start made by openers Ben Duckett (94 runs off 100 balls) and Zak Crawley (84 runs off 113 balls). By the end of the first session, England was at 332/2, with both Pope and Root having scored fifty runs.
Washington Sundar (2/57) got rid of Ollie Pope (71 off 128 balls) and Harry Brook (3) in the second session, giving India a break. But skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root stopped any more Indian resistance. Root scored his 38th Test century, which was a historic effort that made him the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, passing Ricky Ponting. England ended the second session on a high note, with Stokes and Root both still undefeated at 433/4. India had more problems when Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah had fitness problems during this session. They had to leave the field, and Bumrah could only bowl one over with the new ball.
There was more drama in the last session. Stokes had to leave the field after getting his fifty because his left leg hurt. Ravindra Jadeja finally took the prized wicket of Root, who scored a great 150 runs off 248 balls, including 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj then promptly took care of Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4), leaving England with 528 runs and 7 wickets. Stokes (77*) bravely went out to bat, and with Liam Dawson (21*), he made sure that there were no more collapses. England ended the day with a strong 544/7, which gave them a 186-run lead.
Stokes’ Five and India’s First Innings
England limited India to 358 runs after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Sai Sudharsan (61 off 151 balls), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 107 balls), and Rishabh Pant (54 off 75 balls) all made half-centuries for India. Ben Stokes, the captain of England, was the best bowler, taking 5/72 and stopping India from making any big partnerships.
This performance shows how hard it is for the Indian Test team, especially when they are on tour. It will definitely make people look more closely at their bowling attack and overall approach.