Manchester – A composed half-century from debutant B Sai Sudharsan (61) and an aggressive 58 from Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India end Day One of the fourth Test at Old Trafford against England at a competitive 264 for 4. Rishabh Pant added a crucial 37 before retiring hurt after being struck on the elbow by a Mark Wood bouncer, while Ravindra Jadeja (19*) and Shardul Thakur (19*) remained unbeaten when bad light halted play after 83 overs.
After England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first, Indian openers Jaiswal and KL Rahul stitched a solid 94-run stand to give the visitors a strong foundation. Jaiswal was in fine touch, reaching his fifty off 96 balls and peppering his 58-run innings with 10 boundaries and a six. Rahul supported well with a fluent 46 before edging one from Chris Woakes to Zak Crawley in the slips shortly after lunch.
England clawed their way back as left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, playing his first Test in eight years, dismissed Jaiswal with a drifting delivery that turned away sharply, catching the edge for a sharp catch by Harry Brook in the slips. Skipper Shubman Gill tried to counterattack but managed only 12 before falling lbw to Stokes – a review upheld the decision.
Pant, back in his familiar counterpunching role, launched a 50-run fourth-wicket stand with Sudharsan. He swept Woakes for a four and lofted Brydon Carse for a six over long-on. Though he survived a close lbw call on review and was dropped by Stokes at mid-off, his innings was cut short at 37 when a nasty short ball from Wood struck his elbow, forcing him to retire hurt.
Sudharsan, meanwhile, impressed with his composure. He brought up his maiden Test fifty with a stylish cover drive off Joe Root and confidently handled England’s pace and spin attack with pulls and back-foot punches. His gritty 61 off 151 balls, laced with seven fours, ended when a mistimed pull off Stokes found Carse at fine leg.
At 212/3 when Pant left the field, India’s lower middle-order dug in. Jadeja and Thakur added a valuable unbeaten 29-run stand to take India to 264/4 before poor light brought an early end to proceedings.
England’s bowlers applied consistent pressure in the middle overs. Stokes was the pick with figures of 2/47, while Woakes and Dawson claimed one wicket each.
Brief Scores:
India – 264/4 in 83 overs (Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, KL Rahul 46, Rishabh Pant 37 retired hurt; Ben Stokes 2/47, Chris Woakes 1/43, Liam Dawson 1/45).
