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The Indian cricket team tried well to make the most of the second day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, as they ended their first innings scoring 358 runs. But, the tight lines and lengths opted by the English bowlers in their deliveries acted as a resistance for Indians to go big and change their gears, which was evident in Ben Stokes taking a five-for. The first half of the day was marred by poor lighting, but that couldn’t stop England from employing "Bazball" as both the openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided an aggressive start to the hosts.
The highlight of the day for the Indian cricket team would be Rishabh Pant, who extended his overnight retired hurt score of 37 to 54, despite a fractured toe. He walked in to bat when Shardul Thakur was dismissed by Ben Stokes trying to drive the ball, but ended up getting caught out. During this unexpected extension of his innings, Rishabh Pant hit his 90th six in Test cricket to go level with Virender Sehwag, India's highest six-hitter in Test cricket.
Ben Stokes (5/72) and Jofra Archer (3/73) continued their onslaught with the ball, which resulted in the hosts appearing to be struggling. The former dismissed important batters like Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, while the latter provided a pivotal breakthrough of Ravindra Jadeja as the first wicket on day two.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett delivered quick start with their aggressive strokeplay
After the Indian side were bowled out, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave a quickfire start before reaching their respective fifties. While displaying the "Bazball" once again after their heroics from the Headingley Test, they were making runs with rate per over going past five. Ben Duckett slammed three fours in the first over of Anshul Kamboj in Test cricket. Although his partner Crawley struggled to score in his first thirteen balls, he eventually started to gain momentum. Both the openers gave a solid opening stand, making 166 runs off just 195 deliveries.
Both the openers headed back in the pavilion in the third session on day two, which provided some relief to the Indian bowlers after struggling to create an initial pressure. Ravindra Jadeja took Zak Crawley’s wicket, getting him caught out at slips by KL Rahul on 84, missing another chance of scoring his first Test hundred against India. Shortly after, Duckett also got out on 94 to Anshul Kamboj, who was smashed by him for three fours in his first Test over.
England ended the day scoring 225/2 in 45 overs they played, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope present at the crease. The hosts will look to dominate on day three as well, whereas India will look to strike some early breakthroughs to undo the damage done by the English openers.
