By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
India began the second session at 321 for 6 with a fair chance of pushing past 400. But that ambition was quickly shut down by Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, whose relentless pace and precision flipped the script. The England captain set the tone with two wickets in a single over — removing Washington Sundar and Anshul Kamboj — before sealing his first five-wicket haul in eight years.
Stokes once again used the short ball to devastating effect. The dismissal of Washington was almost a carbon copy of Sai Sudharsan’s from the evening before. Banged in short, rising awkwardly, it forced the batter into a rushed pull — a top-edge straight to fine-leg. Two balls later, Kamboj was done in by a near-unplayable delivery that nipped away sharply to take the edge. Jamie Smith did the rest behind the stumps. It was high-quality fast bowling from a captain who continues to lead not just with words, but with spells that change the game.
With the innings in danger of collapsing at 327 for 8, it was Rishabh Pant — battered, bruised, and bandaged — who stood tall once more. Limping between the wickets and grimacing with every movement, he still had the presence of mind and the audacity to pick a slower bouncer from Archer and send it soaring over mid-wicket. That hit took him level with Virender Sehwag as India’s joint-highest six-hitter in Tests. A few deliveries later, a silken cover drive brought up a half-century that had more grit than gloss — one that spoke volumes of Pant’s character.
But like at Lord’s, Archer got him in the end with another vicious nip-backer that uprooted the off stump. The applause from the crowd was thunderous. He’d only added 17 after resuming his innings, but those 17 might end up meaning much more.
India were bowled out for 358, a total they’ll accept, considering the testing surface and early morning conditions.
But England, under clearing skies and perhaps aided by a heavy roller, batted like they were on another pitch. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to 77 without loss in just 14 overs. India’s bowlers were too full, too straight, and too generous. With the ball doing little and the batters capitalising, it was England’s session by some distance.
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