India vs England fourth Test: Captain Ben Stokes chases history with bold decision

Dubai: England captain Ben Stokes is chasing history in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Just one win away from securing England’s first Test series victory over India since 2018, the aggressive skipper — who led from the front at Lord’s to help England take a 2-1 lead — took a big gamble at Old Trafford by electing to bowl first under overcast skies on Wednesday.

It’s a bold call, considering no team has won a Test after choosing to bowl first at the Manchester ground since 1884.

India, needing a win to keep the five-match series alive, started brightly. They reached lunch at 78 without loss, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul looking assured at the crease. However, after the break, England clawed back. Chris Woakes removed Rahul, and then Shubman Gill and Jaiswal fell in quick succession, reducing India to 149 for three at tea. Gill was trapped LBW by Stokes after shouldering arms to an incoming delivery.

Rahul and Jaiswal displayed grit and discipline under the testing overcast conditions. The Indian openers weathered challenging spells with composure. Rahul was particularly assured, playing late and soft-handed to reach an unbeaten 40 off 82 balls, while Jaiswal showed admirable restraint to stay not out on 36 from 74 deliveries. The left-hander completed his 12th half-century and was looking set for a century when he edged Liam Dawson to the lone slip.

England’s bowlers extracted seam movement and bounce in the morning session, with Chris Woakes posing a consistent threat. He repeatedly beat Jaiswal’s outside edge in a probing eight-over spell but failed to induce an error. The left-hander made the most of his fortune, striking three boundaries off Woakes, while Rahul added two of his own. The pair’s unbroken stand gave India a solid foundation, especially after skipper Shubman Gill described it as a “good toss to lose” in tricky conditions.

While Karun Nair’s return has failed to make the desired impact after an eight-year return, England’s own comeback man — spinner Dawson — made a significant impression. Recalled after an eight-year absence to replace the injured Shoaib Bashir, Dawson exploited the dry surface well and dismissed the dangerous Jaiswal. His success raised eyebrows over India’s continued exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, who has now been benched for the fourth consecutive Test.

Despite Manchester’s traditional pace-friendly tag, the relaid pitch — with a prominent brown patch around the good-length area — and Europe’s ongoing heatwave have created conditions that appear spin-friendly. Kuldeep, a proven match-winner and one of only three active international left-arm wrist-spinners, could have brought much-needed variation, particularly in the fourth innings.

India instead opted for a quartet of all-rounders — Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, and debutant Anshul Kamboj — leaving Kuldeep out again.

India also dropped Karun Nair, who has struggled since his comeback, scoring just 131 runs in three Tests at an average of 21.83. Yet the decision to axe him for the Manchester Test drew criticism, notably from former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif.

“Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back Karun, who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader,” Kaif posted on X.

Karun had raised expectations with a 204 for India A against England Lions before the main series. But his dismissals — including a loose edge at Lord’s off Ben Stokes and a poor leave that saw him pinned by Brydon Carse — have drawn scrutiny.

- With inputs from agencies