Root's run chase and seamers doubling up – Old Trafford talking points
Hardly a match goes by these days where Joe Root is not setting a new statistical milestone – and he is on the verge of a huge one this week. If he adds 120 runs to his current haul of 13,259, the Yorkshireman will move up to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list. Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting are in his sights and then only the great Sachin Tendulkar, who has 15,921 runs, will be ahead of him. After his gritty 104 at Lord's in the first innings, the 34-year-old could add to his tally and reach a historic milestone. As Ben Stokes said in his pre-match press conference, Root is 'the absolute GOAT'.
In the squad. In the team.
Let's do this, LD 👊 pic.twitter.com/KXkhhzFQ6v
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025
Shoaib Bashir's Test summer is over because of a broken finger he suffered at Lord's, which has opened the door for fellow spinner Liam Dawson's return to the Test side. The slow left-armer's last red-ball outing for England was all the way back in July 2017 but he has lit up the domestic scene for Hampshire with more than 100 wickets in the past couple of seasons. He was in electric form with the bat as well last year with 956 County Championship runs at an average just below 60. Dawson bats at number six for his county, so for England to have that quality batting at eight adds great depth to the side.
England naming the same frontline fast bowling attack as they did at Lord's means Jofra Archer keeps his place. In his first Test appearance after a four-and-a-half-year absence, he cracked the game wide open in India's doomed pursuit of 193 with three crucial wickets including dangerman Rishabh Pant. Being able to call upon Archer's pace and hostility is vital for England. India, meanwhile, are set to retain Jasprit Bumrah for the third of three scheduled appearances this summer. Despite only playing twice so far, he is second on the wicket-taking charts with 12 at an average of 21. His impact is astronomical, and he is set to play a huge part in a must-win Test for India.
India will be without all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for the remainder of the series due to a knee injury. One option India have is to bring left-arm leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the side. That would leave them with three spinners at a ground that has been known to turn, and a trio of Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja is a potent attack. But playing one less seamer with doubts around the notoriously unpredictable weather forecast in Manchester could leave India vulnerable.
One of the biggest talking points after the Lord's Test last week was the slow over-rate and constant ball changes from both sides. However, a time-wasting row late on the third evening lit the touchpaper for a fiery last couple of days. Shubman Gill reopened old wounds by insisting Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett acted against the fabled 'spirit of the game'. Harry Brook, meanwhile, revealed England head coach Brendon McCullum told them they were 'too nice' and that the flashpoint with Crawley and Duckett was an 'opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys'. With the series on the line in Manchester, do not be surprised if the needle continues this week.
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