Pant hits battling fifty as England captain Stokes strikes
MANCHESTER: Rishabh Pant defied a severe foot injury to make a gutsy fifty while England captain Ben Stokes took his first five-wicket haul in eight years as India were dismissed for 358 in the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Thursday. Pant had to retire hurt on 37 during Wednesday's opening day when struck a painful blow on the foot attempting an audacious reverse-sweep off a Chris Woakes yorker.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced Thursday that Pant had been ruled out of keeping wicket in the Manchester match. But they said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who has now scored 479 runs in seven innings this series at an eye-catching average of 68.42, would bat 'as per team requirements'.
And after Shardul Thakur fell for 41, with India 314-6, Pant slowly made his way down the dressing room steps and out into the middle. The left-hander's movements were restricted but runners are no longer allowed in international cricket.
The impressive Stokes dismissed Washington Sundar for 27, caught by Chris Woakes, and debutant Anshul Kamboj was caught behind off the England skipper for a duck to leave India 337-8.
That gave Stokes his first five-wicket haul in a Test since a career-best 6-22 against the West Indies at Lord's in 2017, with the England skipper finishing with figures of 5-72 in 24 overs.
Pant reached his half-century in 69 balls, including a pulled six off Jofra Archer despite his lack of mobility, before he was bowled by the paceman for 54. He received a generous round of applause as he walked back to the dressing room and Archer (3-73) ended the innings when Jasprit Bumrah was caught behind. India had resumed on 264-4 and, in overcast, bowler-friendly conditions, soon slumped to 266-5 as Archer struck with just his fifth ball of the day.
Ravindra Jadeja, on a run of four successive fifties, had added just one to his overnight 19 when he edged a superb Archer delivery, with second slip Harry Brook holding a fine low catch to his right.
Thakur, one of three changes to the India side, made useful runs but he too fell to Stokes, although it needed a fine catch by a leaping Ben Duckett at gully to dismiss the all-rounder. Stokes went against history by sending the tourists in to bat on Wednesday. No team winning the toss and bowling first has ever won a Test at Old Trafford. But India, 2-1 down in a five-match contest, need to make some history of their own if they are to maintain their hopes of a series victory as they have never won a Test at Old Trafford. — AFP
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