Despite a defiant middle-session partnership between Test captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, the Indian side was left reeling on day four of the Manchester test. A sensational century from Ben Stokes and a fiery first-over spell by Chris Woakes put India in a tough spot. England posted a mammoth 669 in their first innings, building a commanding lead of 311 runs and left India teetering at 86/2 by tea.
India found some stability in the second session as Gill and Rahul batted through without further loss. Gill survived a close chance on 46 when Liam Dawson failed to hold onto a tough catch in the gully. He capitalised on the reprieve, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 655-run mark from 2016 against England and closing in on Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record for most runs in a Test series as captain (732).
As the Indian batters remained firm on the crease, the Google search volume for Shubman Gill also surged. The young Indian Test captain had over 1 million search queries as of 9.45 pm (July 26).
Ben Stokes headlines English batting attack
England’s batting was headlined by captain Ben Stokes, who broke a 35-innings century drought with a magnificent 141. Already having claimed five wickets in India’s first innings, Stokes’ all-round brilliance put him in elite company — joining Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only players with over 7000 Test runs and 200 wickets. His century powered England to their fifth-highest Test total, as India struggled to find answers.
Woakes spearheads bowling attack
England’s declaration left just enough time before lunch for Chris Woakes to make an immediate impact. Woakes struck twice in his very first over, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck with a peach that seamed away and took the edge to slip. Two balls later, debutant Sai Sudharsan misjudged a short, wide delivery — possibly fatigued after spending over two days in the field — and edged it while trying to leave, handing England the early momentum.
Despite the wicketless session, India remains under pressure, still 225 runs behind. With just six sessions left in the match and England firmly in control, the visitors face an uphill task to avoid defeat.