As England walked off for lunch on the fourth day at Old Trafford they could have been forgiven for thinking their opponents were beaten. India had endured the kind of morning that usually dictates a couple of paracetamol and the curtains being redrawn, such was the pummelling Ben Stokes delivered with bat in hand.
It was not just Stokes, either. After his first Test century for two years drove England to 669 all out – 141 from 198 balls – the tourists were tasked with negotiating 15 minutes before the break – a negotiation that could scarcely have gone worse had a couple of contestants from The Apprentice been handling it. Chris Woakes conjured up two wickets in two balls before India had made a dent in the whopping 311-run deficit.
And yet by stumps this fourth Test had taken on a different complexion courtesy of a couple of hugely determined performances from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. Resisting for two wicketless sessions that forced the Saturday crowd to make their own fun, they steered India to 174 for two from 63 overs. Though still 137 runs behind, there is a chance of rain on Sunday and the draw that seemed so unlikely is now possible.
Kudos must first go to the two set batters, not least after 157 overs in the field. Though a decent surface in the main, enough deliveries were shooting low and yet at no point did their focus waver. Both do obduracy in the most elegant ways, with Gill’s low-slung hands still caressing the ball and Rahul all technical excellence. Reaching 78 and 87 not out respectively, two of India’s senior pros had delivered a message to those lower down.
But it also hinted at some of England’s shortcomings when Stokes, their standout performer with the ball, is out of action. The supposed cramps that forced him off the field on day three may well be something more sinister going by the sight of him clutching his upper leg a couple of times. After his five-wicket haul in the first innings, all Stokes could do this time was run through the tactical playbook and wait patiently.
Woakes was the pick overall and his new-ball burst was something to behold. First went Yashasvi Jaiswal, squared up and edging to slip as Joe Root clung on at the second attempt. Then came a dismissal that Gautam Gambhir could relate to, Sai Sudharsan’s attempted leave on his first ball catching the bat and also flying to the cordon. Think back to the India head coach’s dismissal at the Oval in 2014, even if he would sooner forget it.
But after the hat-trick ball to Gill was survived, the chief threat came from Liam Dawson trying to trap the two right-handers on the back foot with a bit of skid, only for the ball to be met with enough willow each time. And it was Dawson who put down the one genuine chance to materialise during an afternoon that seemed to just disappear. Gill sliced hard to backward point when on 46, only for the ball to burst through the all-rounder’s hands.
Had it stuck, India would have been 74 for three and Brydon Carse’s account in the match would have been opened. Jofra Archer, his fellow quick, got the new ball to talk initially but a couple impassioned appeals for lbw were declined. This five-match epic is asking plenty of both sets of fast bowlers – even those who joined halfway – and India’s attack was certainly relieved to get off the park before lunch.
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Stokes had given them the runaround, both through the completion of his 14th Test century and the 125 runs that were trowelled on to a pile already bulging from Root’s historic 150. Not since 2014 had India shipped a 600-plus total in a Test match, while Jasprit Bumrah’s runs column running into three figures was simply a first.
If the return of Stokes as a force with the ball has arguably been the biggest plus for England in this series then this innings was not far behind. Resuming on 77, Stokes opened up with a couple of imperious fours off Mohammed Siraj and then tipped past three figures with a flick down leg. Out came the celebration not seen for a good while – that crooked finger salute and a look to the sky to honour his late father, Ged.
This was the first time an England captain has scored a century and claimed a five-wicket haul in the same Test match and soon the afterburners were lit as he and Carse (47 from 54 balls) ransacked 95 runs for the ninth wicket. When Stokes monstered Washington Sundar for a straight six it took him past 7,000 Test runs, something only Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis had previously combined with 200-plus wickets.
But unless Stokes is able to resume bowling on day five, or others step up in his absence, India could yet wriggle free and head to the Oval with a chance of squaring the series. Gill, previously kept quiet for three innings, is also ominously back in the groove.
