On a morning marked by overcast skies and helpful conditions for seam bowling, England captain Stokes opted to bowl first, despite history not favouring teams making that choice at this venue. No side has ever won a Test here after electing to field first, and India’s unbeaten opening stand by lunch suggested that the decision could prove costly
Yashasvi Jaiswal (Pic: AFP)
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul navigated a challenging opening session with composure, guiding India to a solid 78 without loss at lunch on day one of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
On a morning marked by overcast skies and helpful conditions for seam bowling, England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first, despite history not favouring teams making that choice at this venue. No side has ever won a Test at Old Trafford after electing to field first, and India’s unbeaten opening stand by lunch suggested that the decision could prove costly.
Chris Woakes delivered the most threatening spell for England, testing both batters, particularly Jaiswal, with his consistent movement off the seam. In the very first over of the day, Jaiswal was beaten twice, with edges falling short of the slip cordon. Woakes repeatedly challenged the left-hander, beating the outside edge multiple times in his probing eight-over burst.
Despite the testing conditions, the Indian openers remained resilient. Rahul, as dependable as ever at the top, mixed caution with control. A streaky drive off Woakes took him to a personal milestone, 1,000 Test runs in England, further strengthening his value in overseas conditions. His 40 not out at the break included several confident pull shots, capitalising on the lack of pace in the pitch.
Jaiswal, coming off a disappointing outing at Lord’s where he was dismissed twice by Jofra Archer, appeared determined to rectify his approach. The young left-hander showed more restraint, leaving deliveries outside the off stump and adjusting his technique to counter the moving ball. One of Woakes’s deliveries seamed in sharply from around the wicket, striking high on Jaiswal’s bat and snapping the handle. The incident forced a bat change, momentarily halting play.
India reached 42 without loss after the first hour, weathering the early storm with grit. As the session progressed, conditions eased and both openers began to play more freely. Archer returned for a second spell just before lunch and delivered a sharp bouncer to Jaiswal, who fell while playing the pull but still managed to send the ball to the third-man boundary. Two confident cut shots off Ben Stokes, including a six over a vacant third man, took Jaiswal into the 30s.
Meanwhile, in a surprising move, captain Shubman Gill included debutant Sai Sudharsan in the XI, leaving out Karun Nair despite backing him publicly on the eve of the match. Injuries also forced two changes, with Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy replacing Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur.
At the interval, India looked well placed to post a commanding first-innings total on a dry, slow Old Trafford surface.
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