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The Guardian
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Joe Root hits new milestones as century cements England dominance against India
It was Joe Root day in Manchester on Friday, where 20,000 people sat and admired a true master at work. Inevitable is a dangerous word in cricket, such is the fickle nature of the sport, and yet all that transpired felt as close to this as is possible: the likeliest of outcomes once Root gamboled out in the morning under an azure blue sky. The first expectation was that England, though still trailing India by 133 runs, would take full control of this fourth Test match and, sitting 2-1 up, the series as a whole. Ben Stokes, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley had inflicted such damage 24 hours earlier that it was going to take something remarkable from the tourists to turn things around. And there was also a strong suspicion that Root, on 11, would probably end the day with only Sachin Tendulkar above him in the sport's all-time run-scoring charts. Compiling 150 from 248 balls, his 38th Test century and another for his personal Louvre, this was very much achieved, with a trio of all-time greats surpassed and his career tally now sitting at 13,409 runs. Tendulkar, who retired with 15,921, is now the final boss left to conquer. Not that Root seemed too fussed when, on the stroke of tea, he guided the increasingly innocuous Anshul Kamboj for a single behind square to move past Ricky Ponting's 13,378-run stash. If anything he was sheepish here, offering a little wave of the bat in appreciation of the crowd's applause as the numbers flashed up on the big screen. But then Root is as team-first a cricketer as they come — No Ego Joe, if you will — and will probably have drawn more satisfaction from England's position at stumps. It was a pretty healthy one, too, the hosts closing on 544 for seven and leading by 186 runs. There is rain forecast on Sunday but Shubman Gill's men will need to get there first. There were support acts, of course; the Richard Ashcrofts to Root's Oasis. Ollie Pope made a frisky 71 that, over the course of 38 overs, added 144 for the third wicket alongside Root. Pope did not always exude a sense of permanence – he still jabs at the ball – but his role in a death-by-a-thousand-cuts morning of singles was important. And Stokes continued what is becoming very much his series, that long-awaited five-wicket haul on day two followed by a punchy 77 not out. Though it was paused for a spell on 66 – a battle with cramp forcing him to retire hurt for a spell – the England captain will go into day three eyeing a first Test century for two years. For India there was a brief spell in the afternoon when the door that Root and Pope were bolting shut creaked ajar just a slither. Washington Sundar made a mockery of his 68-over wait to have a bowl, with the drift witnessed at Lord's harnessed once more to see Pope jab to slip and have Harry Brook gormlessly stumped on three. England were 349 for four, still trailing by nine, and the second new ball was overdue. It was a fleeting pushback from the tourists, however, and soon their weary bodies started to fall apart. Jasprit Bumrah left the field after one over with the new ball due to an apparent ankle twinge. Mohammed Siraj got one delivery to rear up and clang Stokes in the box, only to soon follow his strike partner into the away dressing room with a hobble. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Both men eventually returned, to their credit, and while Stokes was off the field getting treatment there was a brief flurry of wickets to give the Indian supporters a few moments of cheer. The problem for them, however, was that among them was the sight of Chis Woakes being knocked over by a ball from Siraj that kept remarkably low. When India's time to bat again comes, it will be anything but straightforward. But as much as the tourists frayed at the edges on this third day, most teams would have struggled with Root in such a rich vein of form. The only real inconvenience came when he was eventually stumped off Jadeja in the evening session, accidentally treading on the ball and, for a split second, giving rise to fears of something more sinister. That aside this was another display of Root's command of the crease, with his ability to pick up length early and manipulate the field to his will still so remarkably innate. A half-century from 93 balls, his century from 178 and little risk taken along the way. Provided Root stays fit and hungry enough – and the latter feels unlikely to diminish given his unbridled love for batting – he will surely top the lot one day.
India Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Is captain Shubman Gill to blame for India's bowling flop show? Experts divided
It was a tough test for young captain Shubman Gill and his bowling group as England dominated proceedings with real authority on Day 3 of the fourth Test in Manchester. While India went down 2-1 before the fourth Test, they had been in the contest in every session of the first three matches. However, at Old Trafford, they were comfortably outplayed on Days 2 and 3, with England sending the Indian bowling unit on a leather exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, a genuine wicket-taking option, drew criticism at the start of the Test, especially as injuries to the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep led fans and pundits to wonder if India would finally hand their left-arm wrist-spinner a go in the series. However, India opted for the safer route by retaining batting depth and handing a debut to medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj, who replaced Akash Deep. | ENG vs IND, 4th Test Day 3 Updates |India felt the absence of a strike bowler when their attack was taken apart by Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley on Day 2. After being bowled out for 357—failing to convert starts into big knocks—the lack of firepower in the bowling line-up was exposed when the conditions began to favour the batters on Thursday and Friday. Jasprit Bumrah looked lacklustre for the first time in the series, and Mohammed Siraj appeared fatigued, playing his fourth consecutive Test. Debutant Anshul, bowling military medium, struggled to trouble the England batters consistently, although he did claim the key wicket of Ben Duckett late on Day raced to 225 for 2 at stumps on Thursday, scoring at over five runs per over. The dominant batting show continued on Friday morning as Joe Root and Ollie Pope made the most of a bright morning and a flat pitch. Bumrah and Siraj opened the day with hostile spells, bowling tight lines—unlike Thursday afternoon, where they had squandered the new Root and Pope weathered the storm and kept the scoreboard ticking by attacking Anshul and Ravindra Jadeja. Captain Gill showed little faith in Shardul Thakur despite having picked him as a bowling was even more baffling was India's reluctance to use Washington Sundar, who had taken a four-wicket haul in the second innings of the previous Test at Lord's. Sundar was not brought into the attack until the 69th over of England's made an immediate impact, breaking a 144-run stand for the third wicket by removing a well-set Ollie Pope. He then claimed the big wicket of Harry Brook, having the World No. 1 batter ability to strike twice in quick succession, along with the drift he was getting on Day 3, raised further questions about why captain Gill did not trust his Gujarat Titans teammate earlier.#Sundar's got the golden touch today!Two quick wickets and #HarryBrook is walking back.#ENGvIND 4th TEST, DAY 3 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 25, 2025RED FLAG IN GILL'S CAPTAINCYFormer India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said Gill's hesitation to use his spinners was a red flag, though he stressed the entire blame shouldn't fall solely on the captain. He also criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for not being hands-on enough when the team was under pressure."Somewhere down the line, Shubman Gill feels that his spinner can't get him a wicket. Washington—maybe he doesn't rate him that much. But that is a major red flag for me," Manjrekar told JioStar during the lunch break on Day 3."You have got to be patient with Shubman Gill. I am already an admirer of him. He's been thrown into the deep end. I really think Bumrah should've taken the reins whenever he was has been thrown to the wolves on an away tour, against a formidable opposition, and he's held his own so far."This is where Gautam Gambhir, the senior coach, has to come into the picture. It's almost like you need an U19 coach who gets more involved in on-field tactics. Gambhir has got to remind himself that Gill is still in a nascent stage as captain. He is not someone who has led India in 25–30 Tests. He's got to step in. I can understand Brendon McCullum not interfering with Ben Stokes around—but Gambhir must.""I don't see any plausible reason for not using Sundar for 68 overs. I see this as a major red flag in Shubman Gill's trait as captain."TRUST YOUR SPINNERS MOREFormer India head coach Ravi Shastri also urged Gill to trust his second spinner more."I said on my first commentary stint that Gill has to trust his spinners more. Washington gave him four wickets in the last game. He opened things up for India in the last Test at Lord's."He's confident, so give him a go. Spinners like longer spells. On a day like this, you'd expect your spinner to accept responsibility, feel accountable and go out there and do a job."advertisementBROAD DEFENDS GILLHowever, former England pacer Stuart Broad defended Shubman Gill, saying it's not easy for a young captain to contain a rampaging England side on a high-scoring ground like Manchester. Broad cited Pat Cummins in the 2023 Ashes Test at Old Trafford, where the senior Aussie captain appeared clueless when England piled on 589 at over five runs per over."One thing I would say to back Shubman Gill: I watched Pat Cummins here against England in 2023—a very successful Australian captain—have every fielder on the boundary, and he was just chasing leather all day. Didn't know what to bowl, didn't know where to go."This England team, this England batting unit, can make it very, very difficult for captains to find ways of being creative. Because they're so aggressive with what they're doing, the bowlers are missing both sides of the wicket."You can't control anything—particularly the lines the Indian bowlers have gone with, not just last night, but a bit today as well."- EndsTune InMust Watch
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
England vs India, fourth Test, day three: live scores and latest updates
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live, over-by-over coverage of day three at Old Trafford. This could be the day that a seriously hard-fought series turns decisively England's way. If they are still batting at the close, it will take a Herculean effort from India – or a repeat of the 2023 downpour that saved Australia – to stop England taking an unassailable 3-1 lead. England were brilliant yesterday, pummelling India all round Old Trafford with ball and bat. They will resume on 225 for 2, a deficit of 133, after scoring their runs at almost five an over. India bowled poorly, particularly with the new ball, but Zak Crawley and especially Ben Duckett played with a skill and chutzpah that we have rarely, if ever, seen from England openers. 'He's an unbelievable player,' said Crawley of his opening partner. 'We talk a lot in the middle about how we're going to play and some of the stuff he comes up with … he's a phenomenal thinker about the game and he hits the ball in areas that made it hard to contain him. I just tried to stay with him. He's the leader of that partnership.' One word of caution. India's bowling improved as the day progressed and they will come hard at England this morning. And there are some uncomfortable parallels with last year's Rajkot Test. On that occasion England started day three on 207 for 2 in reply to India's 445, having scored their runs at almost six an over. Then Joe Root tried to reverse ramp Jasprit Bumrah and the match went in a different direction. England were destroyed by 434 runs and lost the series 4-1. Not that the England dressing-room will be thinking of Rajkot. The past, the worst-case scenarios, are for people like us. They'll be accentuating a sizeable positive: if they dominate today's play, they will be on the cusp of lifting the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG: Zak Crawley-Ben Duckett solid opening stand, Ben Stokes' fifer put England on top at Old Trafford
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett (Getty Images) MANCHESTER: In gloomy conditions at Old Trafford, India looked like they were going to do an encore of Gabba 2021. Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar's gritty 48-run partnership, against the new ball, started the fight on the second morning of the fourth Test. Rishabh Pant, coming back after retiring hurt on Wednesday evening, added 17 runs with a fractured right foot in an exhibition of indomitable spirit. The circumstances leading to Thursday morning resembled India's tour of Australia in 2020-21. The characters in play were the same. It all seemed to be going according to plan when India reached 358 battling against the likes of Ben Stokes , who had spectacular figures of 5/72, and Jofra Archer 's spell of 3/73. All that fight evaporated when the sun broke out as England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley plundered the Indian bowling for 166 runs in 32 overs. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! That opening partnership laid the foundation for England to finish the day at 225/2 in 46 overs, closing in on India's first-innings score in double quick time. India did rediscover some of the fight, claiming two wickets in six overs through Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Anshul Kamboj's dismissals of Crawley and Duckett, for 84 and 94 respectively. Jasprit Bumrah's late burst gave Joe Root a few nervy moments but it didn't yield any results. Captain Shubman Gill looked completely out of depth and appeared in no control of the proceedings. Gill and his bowlers will be desperate to turn a corner early on Friday morning or else they could see the match and the series running away from them very quickly with Ollie Pope and Joe Root batting on 20 and 11 respectively. India's seam bowling looked the flattest in the most favourable conditions in the series. How and why Rishabh Pant's England tour could come to an abrupt end due to toe fracture It's safe to say they played their most ordinary cricket in the series after the last two sessions of the first Test in Leeds. Bumrah was the only one who turned up looking at his usual best, but his good work was undone as Kamboj struggled to find any rhythm with the new ball. The nerves of playing a Test match kicked in and the 24-year-old Kamboj lost his line. He was significantly down on pace as well in his first spell. Once he leaked a few boundaries, mostly on the leg-side, it became a template. Mohammed Siraj, on the back of two good Test matches, too leaked runs on both sides of the wicket. Shardul Thakur, too, never settled down on a line and length. The outfield quickening up in the sun left the Indian bowlers with lesser room for error. It was like watching two different Indian teams on the field. When Archer removed Jadeja for 20 with the new ball at the score of 266/5 in the second over of the day, India's capitulation seemed a matter of time. The ball flew past the edges of the bats of Thakur and Washington. Like they did in Gabba all those years ago, the duo batted sensibly to frustrate Stokes and Archer. Stokes eventually worked out both of them, dismissing Thakur for 41 off 88 and Washington 27 off 90. And when Pant went about middling the balls he played, it seemed India had got the momentum going in their favour. India's resistance with the bat had managed to hurt England's ego in trying conditions. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Zak Crawley hits back at Shubman Gill's 90 seconds claim: It wasn't intentional
England opener Zak Crawley has responded calmly to Shubman Gill's claim that he and fellow batter Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease in the third Test at Lord's, clarifying that any delay was the media after the second day of the fourth Test in Manchester, Crawley explained that he remained in the dressing room until he saw the umpires walk out, following what he believed to be standard acknowledging Gill's concerns, Crawley maintained that the situation was a misunderstanding rather than a breach of protocol. He reaffirmed his respect for the match officials and the spirit of the game. ENG vs IND, 4th TEST DAY 2 SCORECARD | HIGHLIGHTS"No, it wasn't intentional. I sit in my spot until the umpires go out. I walked out when I saw them go. I wasn't aware we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough,' Crawley said. 'I love batting with Ben Duckett'Day 2 saw England seize the momentum at Old Trafford, thanks to a rapid-fire opening stand of 166 runs between Ben Duckett (94) and Crawley (84). The pair scored at over five runs per over across just 32 overs, putting India on the back foot century opening partnership was only the fifth for Duckett and Crawley in 53 Test innings together. Duckett blazed his way to 94 off around 100 balls, while Crawley impressed with a composed 84, handling the seaming conditions with confidence and their partnership, Crawley said, "I love batting with him. He's a phenomenal player. He scores effortlessly — today, almost a run-a-ball — and that takes pressure off me. We communicate well in the middle, and with our left-right combo and height difference, I'm sure it's tricky for bowlers when we're both going.'By the close of play, England had reached 225 for two, narrowing the gap to just 133 runs behind India's first-innings total of 358.- EndsMust Watch
