As Rishabh Pant hobbled out to bat, the Old Trafford crowd rose in appreciation, offering a warm round of applause for the injured Indian vice-captain. Hampered by his leg injury, Pant couldn’t contribute much to India’s total, as the visitors added just 94 runs to their overnight score of 264, folding for 358.
England capitalised with the second new ball — Ben Stokes claiming a five-wicket haul, while Jofra Archer chipped in with three. In reply, openers Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (84) set the tone with a commanding 166-run stand, guiding England to 225/2 by stumps and firmly in control. Ollie Pope and Joe Root will resume England’s innings on Day 3, trailing by 133 runs.
India’s innings came to an early close in the second session, but not before valiant efforts from Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar ensured the team crossed the 350-run mark. At the heart of the resistance was Pant, who fought through visible pain to bring up his fifth 50-plus score of the series. Showing immense grit and control, Pant ran 14 singles with the injured leg and held the innings together after Washington’s dismissal.
In a moment that typified his fearless approach, he dispatched a slower delivery from Archer over the ropes with a commanding pull, followed by a solid block off Stokes’s bowling to reach his half-century. But Archer, as he had at Lord’s, had the last laugh — sending Pant’s stumps cartwheeling with a sharp delivery to claim his second wicket of the day. The speedster had earlier accounted for Ravindra Jadeja with the second new ball and he eventually wrapped up the Indian innings by dismissing Jasprit Bumrah.
Rain interrupted play in the morning session, bringing about an early lunch with India at 321 for 6. The session saw 57 runs scored from 23 overs. Post-lunch, the narrative changed dramatically. Relentless in his effort, Stokes bowled probing lines and was rewarded with important breakthroughs. Washington first shared a valuable 48-run stand with Shardul, and then added 23 more with Pant. Both partnerships were broken by Stokes, who claimed his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket and the second against India.
The second session belonged entirely to England. India added just 37 runs in 9.1 overs for the loss of four wickets — a collapse that ended what had been a promising fightback earlier in the day.
England’s reply began in commanding fashion, with Duckett and Crawley racing to 77 without loss by tea, scoring at over five runs an over. India’s bowling lacked discipline and direction. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and debutant Anshul Kamboj all struggled to find consistent lines, allowing the English duo to dominate proceedings. Compounding the problem was India’s defensive field settings, with Shubman Gill opting for containment over aggression. The tactic quickly backfired.
As the sun broke through the clouds, batting became significantly easier. There was little lateral movement, and India’s pacers struggled to make any real impact. In stark contrast to their cautious batting in the previous Test, Duckett and Crawley embraced their natural aggression again.
When spin was introduced, Jadeja initially struggled — darting the ball in at over 90 kmph with little variation. However, a subtle change in pace brought immediate rewards. Slowing things down slightly, he found some grip off the surface and eventually got Crawley to edge one while poking away from his body, breaking the opening stand.
Jadeja continued to probe, getting past Ollie Pope’s outside edge a few times, though Duckett remained largely untroubled. Gill brought Kamboj back for a second spell, and the young pacer repaid his captain’s faith by claiming the prized scalp of Duckett for 94 — denying him a century and giving India a much-needed breakthrough. Bumrah returned for his final spell of the day, but Pope and Root weathered the storm.
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