England vs India, 4th Test (Old Trafford, Manchester) – Day 2 Highlights
Day 2 belonged entirely to England. India’s first innings ended at 358, in reply to which England reached 225 for 2 at stumps. England now trail by just 133 runs, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope unbeaten at the crease. This has put Team India in a difficult position.
Key Highlights:
- Dominant opening partnership: Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (84) put on a superb 166-run stand. Both attacked the Indian bowlers aggressively and missed out on centuries.
- Indian wickets: Ravindra Jadeja and Anshul Kamboj picked up one wicket each, but couldn’t stop England’s batting momentum.
- Unbeaten batsmen: Joe Root and Ollie Pope ensured no further damage, with Pope handling Jadeja’s bowling well in challenging conditions.
- Indian bowling struggles: Jasprit Bumrah troubled Root but lacked consistent line and length. Shardul Thakur and others proved expensive.
- India’s innings: The day started with Rishabh Pant’s impressive comeback, but the lower order collapsed quickly. Washington Sundar and Shardul added some useful runs.
England are now in a strong position, leading the series 2-1. India need early wickets on Day 3, or the match could slip away.
(Note: This was from the 4th Test of the 2025 India tour of England series, played in July 2025. As of December 2025, there is no ongoing IND vs ENG Test match.)