Rohan Chowdhury, Manchester
England resumed Day 4 on 544/7 with a lead of 186, and the pair of Ben Stokes and Liam Dawson at the crease. Under cloudy, overcast conditions in Manchester, India had the chance to strike early, but they failed to make significant inroads as Stokes continued his dominant run.
The morning saw a record-defining session from England. Stokes led from the front with smart partnerships down the order, as the hosts posted a mammoth first innings total of 699, giving them a substantial 311-run lead. This marked only the seventh instance in Test history where a team took a 300-plus lead after conceding more than 350 in the first innings.
India’s hopes of a strong reply were crushed in the first over. Chris Woakes removed both Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Sai Sudharsan for ducks, reducing the tourists to 0/2 in a nightmarish start.
Stokes’ performance wasn’t just about runs. He became only the third cricketer in the history of Test cricket to achieve the double of 7000 runs and 200 wickets. He now joins the elite company of Sir Garfield Sobers (8032 runs, 235 wickets) and Jacques Kallis (13289 runs, 292 wickets), marking a monumental moment in his already storied career.
Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling from the James Anderson End, with Mohammed Siraj from the Brian Statham End. Though Bumrah struck with a sharp delivery that kept low to remove Liam Dawson — breaking the top of off-stump — the familiar issue of Indian bowlers struggling to clean up the tail returned. The fourth day pitch is behaving oddly with variable bounce, one going up with another keeping low.
Brydon Carse, with a career batting average of just over 21, took a proactive approach and frustrated the visitors further. His quickfire 47 off 54 balls had three boundaries and two sixes, adding crucial runs alongside Stokes.
Once again, Bumrah appeared to carry the bowling unit alone. As noted by India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel on Day 3, the lack of consistent support from the other end continues to burden the pace spearhead.
At lunch, India were precariously placed at 1/2, with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill at the crease, still trailing by 310 runs.
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