By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
India finally found some answers with the ball after a wicketless morning, but the narrative of Day 3’s second session was still largely written in England ink and Joe Root’s elegant hand.
It took 69 overs for Washington Sundar to be introduced, but after lunch, skipper Shubman Gill began with both his spinners — Washington and Ravindra Jadeja — and was rewarded instantly.
Washington didn’t take long to make his mark. The ball that got Ollie Pope was a classic: tossed up, drifting away from the right-hander, curving mid-air, and then skidding off the pitch. Pope was drawn into the drive, beaten in the flight, and only managed a faint edge, KL Rahul snapping up a sharp, low catch. A wicketless first session suddenly gave way to a breakthrough, breaking the dangerous Root-Pope stand.
Throughout this series, Washington has been India’s most deceptive spinner in the air, averaging nearly twice the drift compared to Liam Dawson, Root, or even Jadeja. It was that very air movement that unlocked Pope.
The real moment of tactical success came when India delayed taking the second new ball and persisted with spin. The result? Harry Brook, trying to force the pace, danced down to Washington but was nowhere near the pitch of the ball. It curved, dipped, beat the edge, and Dhruv Jurel calmly completed the stumping.
India had clawed back picking up two wickets in 8 runs, but soon took the second new ball. Mohammed Siraj came on from the Brian Statham End and Jasprit Bumrah from the James Anderson End — only briefly, though. After a stiff first over, Bumrah walked off the field, leaving Gill visibly surprised. Team management passed a message to the captain, and debutant Anshul Kamboj was handed the ball.
Siraj, meanwhile, bowled a fiery spell that deserved more. He beat the bat, hit Ben Stokes, and made life difficult for Root. But cricket can be a cruel game. The best spells don’t always bring rewards, and Siraj walked back wicketless despite deserving much more.
Root, though, made the session and the day all about himself. After failures in the first two Tests, he responded like great players do. A hundred at Lord’s followed by another at Old Trafford. With this century, his 38th in Tests, Root drew level with Kumar Sangakkara.
But more significantly, he leapfrogged Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting, all on the same day to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history. Only Sachin Tendulkar stands ahead of him now. The Old Trafford crowd knew they were watching greatness, rising as one to chant “Roooooot” in celebration.
Stokes survived another jittery session, playing and missing, getting struck, and never looking fully settled. But he hung in there.
England ended the session at 433 for 4, leading by 75 runs and the game slowly but surely slipping from India’s grasp. The hosts hold all the cards, and unless India find something special in the final session, Day 3 could end with England well on top.
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