MANCHESTER: AFTER conceding more than 600 runs, India endured a nightmarish start to their second innings of the fourth Test here at the Old Trafford Ground on Saturday. Opening the bowling for England with only three overs remaining before lunch, Chris Woakes claimed back-to-back wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and B Sai Sudharsan even before India could have opened their account.
The first one, fourth ball of the over, angled into the left-hand batter Jaiswal and then seamed away taking the outside edge. Joe Root, stationed at first slip, fumbled but recovered in time to hold it back with one hand. The second one was a short of length ball going outside the off stump but Sai Sudharsan tried to poke it but it took an edge and was taken safely by Harry Brook at second slip.
Losing two wickets in the first over immediately put India on the back foot. Every ball bowled after that became an event with the English supporters egging on their bowlers each time they steam in to bowl. Captain Shubman Gill and opener KL Rahul, however, saw off the remaining 13 balls making sure India did not slip further.
The two then started rebuilding the innings post the break with Gill being the aggressor. Given his approach, Gill also survived a few anxious moments when England reviewed an LBW decision against him but this time the on field umpire's call saved the India captain from becoming Jofra Archer's victim.
He also offered a chance, although a difficult one, to Liam Dawson at gully when he was on 46. A few close calls and play with caution approach meant India went to tea at 86 for two with Gill unbeaten on 52 and Rahul playing on 30.
The visitors then reached the three figure mark in the next 10 overs as the batters started looking more comfortable in the middle. Rahul also brought his half-century in the due course of time. England tried to bounce the batters out but they negotiated those deliveries carefully to keep India in the hunt.
Post drinks, Gill and Rahul accelerated the run rate as India reached 164/2 after 58 overs with Rahul overtaking Gill. The last over saw Rahul being hit on his left knee but that didn't deter him or Gill from carrying on the job they had undertaken - taking India unscathed into the last day. At stumps, India were 174/2 after 63 overs with Rahul batting at 87 and Gill unbeaten on 78.
Earlier in the day, England skipper Ben Stokes and all-rounder Brydon Carse went hammer and tongs as India bowlers looked helpless in the morning session. The bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah conceded 115 runs in a little over 22 overs in that period as England put 669 runs on the scoreboard and took a huge first innings lead of 311 runs. The total is now the highest at the venue surpassing Australia's 656/8 against England in 1964.
The huge total meant India also ended up conceding 600-plus runs in Tests for the first time since 2014 when New Zealand scored 680/8 against them in Wellington. The hammering at the hand of England exposed the team's bowling attack. Ahead of the series, captain Shubman Gill had said their priority is to take 20 wickets as a Test match cannot be won without bowling out opponents twice. But there seems to be a stark difference between their words and actions. Unlike what Gill said, the team management is going for batting depth even if it means sacrificing a specialist bowler.
The warning signs were there when Gill and Co could not account for 20 wickets in the first match of the series at Leeds. Needing 371 in the fourth innings to win the first Test, England openers - Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley - added 188 runs as the team coasted home with ease. In Edgbaston, India bowled out England for 271 in their second essay thus winning the match by 336 runs. They did better at Lord's restricting their opponents to 387 and 192 runs in the first and second innings respectively but failed to achieve the 191-run target to lose a closely-contested battle.
Even if they had picked 20 wickets each in the past two matches, their inclination towards all-rounders is an open secret now. And as was expected, It started costing them dear at Manchester as England plundered them for runs with Joe Root becoming the second leading scorer in Test history with his 150 while Stokes slamming his first century in the format since June 2023.
Such was the hammering that four of the six bowlers India used conceded more than 100 runs. Jasprit Bumrah, India's lynchpin, gave away 112 runs in 33 overs, the first instance of him conceding 100 or more runs in a Test innings. Besides him, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also conceded more than 100 runs in their respective spells.
It all began on Day 2 when the bowlers had a horrendous show on the field. They either bowled on pads or too full to the English batters, who capitalised on the mistake and laid a foundation for a huge total. To be fair on the bowlers, the weather at Manchester changed dramatically on Day 2 but they got the needed assistance the next two days including Saturday morning. They started on a positive note on Friday morning bowling a tight line but Root and Ollie Pope played cautiously to see off the first session, deflating the Indian attack.
Stokes, who on Friday had to walk off the field due to cramps, added salt to the wounds as he scored quick runs on Saturday morning to make sure England had a cushion of 300-plus runs. India's decision to hand Test cap to rookie Anshul Kamboj also backfired as the Haryana pacer failed to impress and at times could clock only 125 kmph, way below what he used to bowl in domestic cricket and IPL.
India's bowling coach Morne Morkel was honest in his reply when asked about the collective failure of bowlers on Day 2. "Yesterday (Thursday) our execution let us down, so I think it's not so much to blame on the combinations we went with, it's more the fact that we let ourselves down with our execution. I haven't seen a pitch map where we basically leaked runs, I think 100 runs on both sides, normally like a bit of a split. And for me yesterday was either a sign that we were too greedy, but we couldn't stick to the plan, and then from there we found ourselves chasing the game a little bit," he told journalists after day's play on Friday.
Given their off day with the ball, the India batters had to bat out the day and they responded in the second innings. The work, however, is far from over. They need to see off a lot more overs on Sunday if they wish to stay alive in the five-match series.
