Joe Root’s love affair with Old Trafford continued as his milestone-laden century put England on top in what could possibly be the series-deciding Test.
Making the most of the bright sunshine and favourable conditions, Root (150, 248b; 14×4) brought up his 38th Test century and on the way, became the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the format – surpassing Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting. Now, only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him in the list with 15,921 runs.
As records tumbled, a nonchalant Root focused on building crucial partnerships – with Ollie Pope (144 for the third wicket), and later with Ben Stokes (142 for the fifth wicket) – as England ended the day at 544 for seven, and pushed India against the wall with a 186-run lead.
Over his illustrious career, Root has had memorable moments at Old Trafford, where he remains the leading run-scorer for England in red-ball cricket. He further boosted his record in Manchester as the Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure on Friday.
India under-bowled Washington Sundar for the larger period of the first session. When he was brought into the attack after lunch for a full-fledged spell, the off-spinner picked up the wickets of Pope and Harry Brook to boost India’s confidence. However, with Root and Stokes hanging in there, the respite was momentary.
Conservative strategy and fitness concerns for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj meant India let the game drift. Bumrah, who struggled after rolling his left ankle while climbing down the dressing room staircase, bowled only one over with the second new ball post-lunch before leaving the field. His absence meant that he wasn’t allowed to bowl before tea, even though he returned to the field.
With no Bumrah around and Siraj hobbling off the field for a while, India’s fast bowling attack was in a disarray. Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj, who bowled under 130 kmph, erred in line and length and gave away plenty of boundaries.
Ben Stokes and Joe Root added 142 runs for the fifth wicket before the former retired hurt due to cramps.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Ben Stokes and Joe Root added 142 runs for the fifth wicket before the former retired hurt due to cramps.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
India’s plan to use spinners Washington and Ravindra Jadeja in tandem, too, did not yield the results as England strolled past 400 before Root brought up his hundred by glancing Kamboj for a four.
Root had luck favour him earlier in the innings, when Jadeja missed a run-out opportunity at the non-striker’s end. Making the most of it, he went on to become the first batter to score 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford.
Though India found some momentum with quick wickets in the final session, England was firmly in control of the game by then. Stokes (77 batting, 134b, 6×4) returned to action after a hamstring pull had forced him to retire hurt.
Kamboj and Shardul were brought in to reduce the workload of Bumrah, but on a challenging surface, they bowled 29 overs together, whereas Bumrah alone bowled 28.
With the captain Shubman Gill failing to come up with a back-up plan, and his bowlers failing to capitalise on key moments, it was a day of despair for India.
At a venue, where it has never won a Test, India did not help its chances by conceding 500-plus total for the first time since 2021.
