A superb 166-run opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett has led England’s recovery in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester.
England closed day two on 2-225, trailing India by 133 runs.
A gutsy half-century from the injured Rishabh Pant helped India post 358 in its first innings, with England captain Ben Stokes’s first five-wicket Test haul in eight years helping see off the tourists’ tail.
Crawley and Duckett moved at a rapid rate before tea to eat into India’s total as England’s reply got underway, but neither could convert their impressive starts into centuries.
The pair fall for 84 and 94 respectively in the evening session.
Joe Root (11 not out) and Ollie Pope (20 not out) survived several close calls to see England through to the close, putting the hosts in with a chance of sealing victory in the five-match series with one Test to spare.
“The boys are happy to be in a good position as a team, we bowled really well this morning,” Crawley told reporters after stumps.
“I have high standards and I always want more from myself. That has certainly been the case in the last year or so. Days like today make the tougher times worth it more.”
Resuming the day on 4-264, Pant appeared in the India dressing room in his whites after retiring hurt on day one.
He had attempted an audacious reverse scoop shot when on 37, before heading to hospital for scans.
After Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Shardul Thakur (41) returned to the pavilion on day two, Pant received a standing ovation as he surprisingly limped down the steps and onto the field.
Running between the wickets was difficult, but Pant — effectively on one leg — steered India through to lunch on 6-321.
As play restarted, the battling Pant pulled out the big shots. He slogged Jofra Archer for six before moving past 50, his 18th Test half-century.
After Stokes had removed Washington Sundar (27) and debutant Anshul Kamboj (duck), Archer ended Pant’s resistance by sending the injured wicket-keeper’s off stump flying for 54.
“He was in a lot of pain,” Thakur said.
“But we have seen him do amazing things.
“Today was just another amazing thing he did for this team. A lot was happening with the ball, so getting the amount of runs we did was not easy.”
Pant has now amassed the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a series on English soil.
Reuters
Discussion about this post