On Day 4 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, England pacer Chris Woakes took two quick wickets in India’s second innings to put the hosts in control. England led India by 311 runs after scoring 669.
Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul batted 15 minutes before lunch. Opening the attack, Chris Woakes bowled full from around the wicket. The first breakthrough came when he closed the face too early when at the crease and hit Jaiswal’s bat outside edge. Joe Root, at first slip, originally botched the simple catch but recovered and took it on the second attempt, sending Jaiswal back to the pavilion for a duck.
Sai Sudharsan fell on the fifth ball of the over. Chris Woakes bowled a short-of-a-length ball outside off stump that should have been harmless. Sudharsan was undecided between playing or leaving. He hung his bat out and tried to withdraw, but the ball hit the bat and went to Harry Brook at second slip when India had lost two wickets in the first over.
Chris Woakes! 🔥
A heart-in-mouth moment for Joe Root who nearly fumbles… but the man of the hour holds on and we have our first!
🇮🇳 0️⃣-1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Z0EMNiAMSt
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2025
TWO IN TWO!
Nicked straight to Harry Brook. WHAT A START! 🤯
🇮🇳 0️⃣-2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qbokPo7iKj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2025
He got hit by Chris Woakes’ delivery on the pad, but it was slipping down the side of his thigh.
The last delivery of the over was then faced by skipper Shubman Gill. India was rocked early in their second innings when the over ended as a double-wicket maiden.
Ben Stokes led England’s charge earlier in the day with a dominant 141, reaching a personal milestone of 7000 Test cricket runs. With the help of Liam Dawson and Brydon Carse, he helped England to a commanding first-innings total.
Joe Root, who scored an incredible 150, was the mainstay of England’s innings. Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (84), who provided him with great support, laid a strong foundation and helped the hosts take control of the game. India will now try to get back together and battle in the remaining games.
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India
