England Fight Back After Pant’s Heroics in Fourth Test
Manchester – After Rishabh Pant’s valiant half-century inspired India to a first-innings total of 358, England responded strongly on Day 2 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford with a solid 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. At stumps, England had reached 225/2, trailing India by just 133 runs with three full days of play remaining.
India began the day at 264/4, but the morning session brought early setbacks. Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed adding just one to his overnight score, and Shardul Thakur fell for 41. However, all eyes were on vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who returned to bat despite a serious leg injury suffered the previous day. Doctor has advised him six weeks rest.
Pant scored a gritty 54 off 75 balls (2 sixes, 3 fours) while battling through visible discomfort. His entrance onto the field and then his exit was met with a standing ovation from the Manchester crowd.
Despite a heroic effort, India were all out for 358. Other key contributions came from Sudharsan (61), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58), KL Rahul (46), and Washington Sundar (27). Debutant Anshul Kamboj was dismissed for a duck. Ben Stokes took his first five-wicket haul in over eight years (5 wickets), while Jofra Archer supported with 3 wickets.
England’s reply was assertive. Openers Crawley and Duckett batted with clarity and aggression, compiling 166 runs in 195 balls. Crawley made 84 (13 fours, 1 six) before falling to Ravindra Jadeja, caught by KL Rahul in the slips. Duckett missed out on a century, falling for 94, caught behind by Dhruv Jurel off debutant Kamboj — his maiden international wicket. England closed the day at 225/2 with Ollie Pope (20) and Joe Root (11) at the crease.
Meanwhile, with Pant unable to keep wickets for the remainder of the series, Tamil Nadu’s N. Jagadeesan has been flown in as a backup keeper. Dhruv Jurel is expected to take up the gloves for now, while Ishan Kishan remains unavailable due to fitness concerns.
As the match heads into Day 3, India will look to their bowlers to create breakthroughs and reclaim control, while England eyes a first-innings lead with a strong middle-order yet to come.
Rishabh Pant Equals Sehwag’s Six-Hitting Record in Test Cricket
On Thursday at Old Trafford, Rishabh Pant made history by equaling Virender Sehwag’s long-standing Indian record for the most sixes in Test cricket. During his fighting innings against England in the fourth Test, Pant struck his second six, bringing his career tally to 90 sixes in just 82 innings — a remarkable feat in far fewer innings than Sehwag.
Sehwag had taken 178 innings to reach 90 sixes, making Pant the joint-most prolific Indian six-hitter in Test history, and the fastest to reach the mark by innings.
🇮🇳 Most Sixes for India in Test Cricket:
Rishabh Pant – 90 sixes (82 innings)
Virender Sehwag – 90 sixes (178 innings)
Rohit Sharma – 88 sixes (116 innings)
MS Dhoni – 78 sixes (144 innings)
Ravindra Jadeja – 74 sixes (125 innings)
Sachin Tendulkar – 69 sixes (329 innings)