India’s Pant defies injury but England control of fourth Test

India’s injured Rishabh Pant hits 54 aft astonishment instrumentality earlier England takes power of 4th test

England mightiness person thought it had seen the past of Rishabh Pant successful this Test bid against India.

Pant had different ideas.

After retiring aboriginal connected Day One of the 4th Test astatine Old Trafford with a ft injury, Pant returned Thursday, albeit with a limp, and posted a half-century arsenic India reached 358 each out, with England skipper Ben Stokes taking 5-72.

While Pant’s engagement came arsenic a astonishment and prolonged the visitors’ archetypal innings, England went connected to instrumentality power of the lucifer with a blistering opening concern of 166 by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.

The hosts reached 225-2 astatine stumps connected Day Two astatine Old Trafford to way by 133 runs, mostly acknowledgment to the explosive batting of Crawley (84) and Duckett (94), which included 26 fours betwixt the brace – 13 each – and a six for Crawley.

Ollie Pope (20 not out) and Joe Root (11 not out) are astatine the crease.

England leads the five-match bid 2-1.

India resumed connected 264-4 and England took the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Shardul Thakur (41) successful the greeting session.

But Pant’s instrumentality presented an unexpected obstacle for England erstwhile helium came retired to regenerate Thakur aft overnight reports that helium had sustained a fracture.

Walking dilatory and uncomfortably, helium made his mode to the crease to cheers from each astir the stadium and resumed his innings connected 37.

India batsman Rishabh Pant sets disconnected for his archetypal tally arsenic Ben Stokes looks connected during Day Two [Stu Forster/Getty Images]

It was a gutsy show from Pant, who was wounded a time earlier erstwhile his showmanship got the amended of him, and an attempted reverse expanse disconnected Chris Woakes saw the shot deflect onto his close foot. He laic connected the tract successful symptom and had to permission connected a cart, with his ft severely swollen.

He went connected to adhd 17 much runs to get to 54 earlier being bowled by Jofra Archer, who sent the stumps crashing.

England wasted nary clip successful chasing down India’s full with Crawley and Duckett connected a mission.

The hosts were 77-0 astatine beverage successful reply, with Duckett hitting 43 disconnected 41 balls with 7 fours, portion Crawley was 33 disconnected 44.

The brace kept connected uncovering the bound erstwhile play resumed, and some were looking connected people for centuries until India’s breakthrough.

Crawley was caught by KL Rahul astatine gaffe disconnected Jadeja and Duckett was caught by substitute Dhruv Jurel disconnected Anshul Kamboj. Duckett’s caput dropped arsenic the realisation sunk successful that he’d fallen conscionable six abbreviated of a trial century.

The England skipper is present the starring wicket-taker for the bid aft his haul of 5 successful the 4th test.

Stokes added the wickets of Thakur (41), Washington Sundar (27) and Kamboj (0) to those of Shubman Gill (12) and Sai Sudharsan (61) connected Day One.

Stokes has 16 wickets for the series, and this was the archetypal clip helium had taken 5 successful a lucifer for 8 years.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies