AI Simulation, ENG vs IND | Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah headline India’s series-levelling win at Old Trafford

Pitch & Weather

A traditionally seaming Old Trafford surface with pace and carry was on offer, with spinners coming into play in the last two days of the contest. There were cloudy spells with rain delaying action on the first and last days, with sunny and dry weather prevailing in between.

Toss & Conditions

India won the toss and elected to bat first.

Lineups

England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Liam Dawson

India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Match Report

India clinched a series-levelling win beating England by 125 runs in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. The visitors rode on the class of captain Shubman Gill, who top-scored in both innings, including a century in the first, and an excellent spell of fast bowling from Jasprit Bumrah to notch up their first win at the venue.

After choosing to bat, India built their innings around KL Rahul (82) and Jaiswal, who stitched a century partnership for the opening wicket. The southpaw looked aggressive among the two, hitting 12 fours and a six during his 146-ball 101. But it was Shubman Gill who commanded attention yet again as he continued his purple patch to notch up his fourth century of the series. He scored 14 fours and three sixes to notch up a near-flawless 134, handling Jofra Archer’s pace and Liam Dawson’s turn with equal composure. Gill’s deputy Rishabh Pant added flair with a counterattacking 57, and the duo’s stand took the game away from the home side. India declared their innings at a formidable 451/9 with Archer picking 3/88 while Chris Woakes and comeback man Dawson getting two wickets each.

England began solidly but two quick wickets put India right back into the contest. Though Joe Root continued his good form with the bat with a solid-looking 71, he did not get enough support from the other end. Ben Duckett (44), Harry Brook (35) and Jamie Smith (42) all failed to capitalise on their good starts as Root top-scored for the hosts, hitting six fours in his innings. Meanwhile, Bumrah picked up his second consecutive five-wicket haul to end with figures of 5/74 to help the visitors bowl out England for 278. Akash Deep and Washington Sundar ended with three and two wickets, respectively, as India got a lead of 173 runs.

With a large lead, India opted for quick runs to tighten the hold over the hosts. Despite no batter crossing fifty, brisk knocks from Gill, Rahul, and Jadeja took India to 203/6 before a timely declaration set England a target of 377. The Indian skipper was once again the top-scorer with 44, while he received admirable support from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. Pacer Gus Atkinson and Archer picked up two wickets apiece, while Chris Woakes had one to his name.

England began their chase on a good note again, with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope (36) showing patience. But once they departed, the England innings never looked comfortable. Mohammed Siraj’s three-wicket burst on either side of tea turned the tide in the visitors’ favour. Harry Brook’s aggressive 45 gave a brief hope, but Jadeja (2/55) and Akash Deep (3/58) tightened the noose, bowling England out for just 251 on the final day. Opener Duckett hit eight fours in his 93-ball 53 while Siraj was the pick among Indian bowlers in the second essay with a spell of 4/61. With that win, the visitors bounced back to equalise the five-match Test series 2-2 in Manchester.

Player of the Match

Shubman Gill won the Player of the Match for his 134 in the first innings and 44 in the second, anchoring both batting efforts.

Scorecard