Manchester Test Drawn! India vs England 4th Test Day 5 – Full Recap & Key Moments

Jofra Archer to Washington Sundar : On a good length, steep bounce, but wide outside off, Washington shoulders arms.

Jofra Archer to Washington Sundar : Full and down the leg side, Sundar looks to flick but misses. Yet another diving take by the keeper, this time to his right.

Jofra Archer to Washington Sundar : On a length, around middle and off, from around the wicket, Washington Sundar defends.

Well, after having been predicted a wet morning session, we have managed to get an uninterrupted first session on the final day. Will that be the case for the rest of the day as well? 64 overs are left in the day and if there is no interruption, the mandatory final hour starts with 15 overs pending.

Of course, it will be interesting to see whether we get a handshake moment in this Test, especially if the visitors bat confidently and keep scoring runs. The conditions continue to stay overcast but will rain stay away as well? The players slowly come back out onto the field. Jofra Archer will start the post-Lunch session. 15-2-55-1 so far. The second new ball is just 9 overs new, so India will be looking at these first 30 minutes. If they see these off, batting should be significantly easier.

Well, after having been predicted a wet morning session, we have managed to get an uninterrupted first session on the final day. Will that be the case for the rest of the day as well? 64 overs are left in the day and if there is no interruption, the mandatory final hour starts with 15 overs pending.

Of course, it will be interesting to see whether we get a handshake moment in this Test, especially if the visitors bat confidently and keep scoring runs. The conditions continue to stay overcast but will rain stay away as well? The players slowly come back out onto the field.

There will be some discussion in the Indian camp about how to bat in this session. Without a doubt, the priority in the morning session would have been to just survive and keep wickets in hand, and hence, even though scoring just 49 runs in 2 hours was purely attritional, the visitors would not have minded it too much, if they had been wicketless or lost just the solitary wicket. But now, with the set batters dismissed and the deficit 88 runs away, the coaching staff might just ask the batters to have a watch out on the runs as well.

Understandably, these runs are not for winning the Test match but as long as the tourists are on the trail, England will keep believing that they are just 6 wicket balls away from winning the Test and series. However, if India manage to play normal cricket till Tea and get the runs, in addition to not losing wickets, it means that the trail would be wiped out and then, the hosts will have to come out to bat again to score the runs. The target is not the problem. It is at that point in time, when England might get desperate for wickets, lose their rhythm and start thinking about the weather, light etccc… Cricket is played on the field, but won mostly, in the mind.

… DAY 5, SESSION 2 …

As the second session looms, England will look to capitalise on this momentum. They’ve got the set batters out and now face India’s lower-middle order, with the pitch misbehaving. For India, the target is to fight through this afternoon with partnerships and patience. If Sundar and Jadeja can stitch something together, they can still push this match toward the final session or make it a draw.

But the next hour after Lunch could decide how quickly or slowly this Test wraps up. England sense victory, and India know they’re one or two wickets away from being exposed. It’s going to be an intense post-Lunch session, which is scheduled to begin around 6.10 pm IST (1240 GMT).

As the second session looms, England will look to capitalise on this momentum. They’ve got the set batters out and now face India’s lower-middle order, with the pitch misbehaving. For India, the target is to fight through this afternoon with partnerships and patience. If Sundar and Jadeja can stitch something together, they can still push this match toward the final session or make it a draw.

But the next hour after Lunch could decide how quickly or slowly this Test wraps up. England sense victory, and India know they’re one or two wickets away from being exposed. It’s going to be an intense post-lunch session, which is scheduled to begin around 6.10 pm IST (1240 GMT).

As the second session looms, England will look to capitalise on this momentum. They’ve got the set batters out and now face India’s lower-middle order, with the pitch misbehaving. For India, the target is to fight through this afternoon with partnerships and patience.

If Sundar and Jadeja can stitch something together, they can still push this match toward the final session or make it a draw. But the next hour after Lunch could decide how quickly or slowly this Test wraps up. England sense victory, and India know they’re one or two wickets away from being exposed. It’s going to be an intense post-lunch session.

The English bowlers stuck to their plans of short-pitched deliveries. Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer bowled probing lines, and while they didn’t find wickets immediately with the second new ball, they consistently tested the outside edges.

Earlier, Ben Stokes, despite struggling with his shoulder and back niggles, came in and made a difference almost instantly, removing Rahul and giving England the breakthrough they were desperately searching for. Dawson bowled a long spell from one end, using the rough and footmarks effectively against the left-handers, but without any success yet. Their only concern would be the fielding, as they dropped two chances, Ollie Pope put down Gill on 81, and Joe Root shelled one off Jadeja just before Lunch on his first ball.

The English bowlers stuck to their plans of short-pitched deliveries. Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer bowled probing lines, and while they didn’t find wickets immediately with the second new ball, they consistently tested the outside edges. Earlier, Ben Stokes, despite struggling with cramps, came in and made a difference almost instantly, removing Rahul and giving England the breakthrough they were desperately searching for.

Dawson bowled a long spell from one end, using the rough and footmarks effectively against the left-handers, but without any success yet. Their only concern would be the fielding, as they dropped two chances, Ollie Pope put down Gill on 81, and Joe Root shelled one off Jadeja just before Lunch on his first ball.

Washington Sundar came in ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, likely a tactical move. Sundar looked calm and settled, playing with a straight bat and showing great composure and gave Gill good support at the other end. Together, they stitched a small but important stand that helped India regroup after Rahul’s dismissal.

Once Gill departed, Jadeja walked in and was dropped on the very first ball, a big let off that could hurt England later. India added 49 runs but lost two key wickets in this first session, and now, as it stands, Sundar and Jadeja will need to build another long partnership to save this match for their side.

Despite all the hard work put in by India this morning, lunch will taste very bitter. They did all the hard work, absorbed all the pressure but just when it was time to eat the pie, they dropped the entire cake. It was England’s session to take, and they did so with intent. They managed to break the backbone of India’s resistance just before Lunch, dismissing centurion Shubman Gill on the stroke of the interval.

Earlier, they also got rid of KL Rahul, who looked rock solid and seemed headed for a century before falling to a familiar Stokes trap like he did at Lord’s. With both set overnight batters back in the hut, England will head into the dressing room satisfied and in control. The hosts still need six more wickets, but with the pitch showing uneven bounce and signs of wear, now they’ll believe it’s only a matter of time.

India began the day with calm and composure, as Gill and Rahul continued from where they left off last evening. The duo showed great patience and understanding of the conditions, rotating strike and blunting out the bowlers effectively. Unfortunately, Rahul fell short of the milestone, trapped LBW by skipper Ben Stokes, who looked the best out of the lot. Of course, the pitch had its say on that dismissal as the ball just shot unplayably low.

Gill, meanwhile, took blows on his thumb, survived a dropped catch when he was on 81, and yet never looked rattled. He played like a leader, mixing caution with fluent drives, and brought up a fighting hundred under pressure. His knock held the innings together until he was undone by Jofra Archer just before the break, which changed the tone of the session dramatically.

India began the day with calm and composure, as Gill and Rahul continued from where they left off last evening. The duo showed great patience and understanding of the conditions, rotating strike and blunting out the bowlers effectively. Unfortunately, Rahul fell short of the miles

tone, trapped LBW by skipper Ben Stokes, who looked the best out of the lot. Gill, meanwhile, took blows on his thumb, survived a dropped catch when he was on 81, and yet never looked rattled. He played like a leader, mixing caution with fluent drives, and brought up a fighting hundred under pressure. His knock held the innings together until he was undone by Jofra Archer just before the break, which changed the tone of the session dramatically.

It was England’s session to take, and they did so with intent. They managed to break the backbone of India’s resistance just before Lunch, dismissing centurion Shubman Gill on the stroke of the interval. Earlier, they also got rid of KL Rahul, who looked rock-solid and seemed headed for a century before falling to a familiar Stokes trap like he did at Lord’s.

With both set overnight batters back in the hut, England will head into the dressing room satisfied and in control. Despite India showing some fight and application in the first half an hour this morning, England’s consistent pressure and timely breakthroughs have put them firmly on top. The hosts still need six more wickets, but with the pitch showing uneven bounce and signs of wear, now they’ll believe it’s only a matter of time.

Liam Dawson to Ravindra Jadeja : A touch short, around off, Jadeja works it through the leg side but cannot find the gap. LUNCH ON DAY 5, INDIA 223/4, TRAIL BY 88!

Liam Dawson to Ravindra Jadeja : Short of full, outside off, skidding through, Ravindra Jadeja stays back to defend.

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