Batters shine on gloomy day

Manchester: After Indian skipper Shubman Gill lost a fourth toss in succession at Old Trafford, his England counterpart Ben Stokes did the unthinkable. It was an overcast and chilly morning, and the forecast was for similar weather throughout the opening day. Sensing something special from his bowlers in ideal conditions, Stokes gambled on bowling first despite history against such a decision, as no team that won the toss and elected to do so had won in 84 previous Tests.

After the first session on a slow wicket, it looked like the punt on asking India to take first strike may backfire as Yashasvi Jaiswal (58, 107b) and KL Rahul (46, 98b) went about their business with barely any discomfort.

But a spirited performance from the English bowlers in the post-lunch session that elicited errors from the Indian batters saw the visitors in a spot of bother at 149/3 at tea on the opening day.

On the eve of the fourth Test, which India need to win or draw to keep the series alive, Gill admitted lapses in concentration that have seen them fritter away advantages constantly since the tour of Australia from late last year has been a matter of concern.

He said the team is aware of it and hoped the batters would cut down the errors, show some application, and carry on to make big runs.

For the first couple of hours, Rahul and Jaiswal looked like they were following the captain’s orders.

England’s pacer Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Stokes just kept bowling in and around the off-stump, constantly asking Rahul and Jaiswal some tough questions.

There was swing, seam, and movement in typically English conditions — something that has been a rarity as the country is going through a brutal summer. Manchester, being the ‘Rainy City’, altered the equation, but Rahul and Jaiswal were game for the challenge.

They watched the ball extremely closely and left them nicely, an essential requirement to do well in England. Their defence was solid and whenever there was a ball to be hit, they smashed them for boundaries.

And their running between the wickets too was top-notch, both batters playing with soft hands, dabbing the balls and speeding off for quick singles. The way they were batting, they looked perfectly on course to punish Stokes for his bold call.

It has been such a series where momentums have shifted suddenly without any warning and it happened again when the impressive Woakes dismissed Rahul 18 minutes into the second session.

Rahul tried to punch the pacer off his back foot, edging to Zak Crawley at slips.

England then got Jaiswal midway through the second session from a source they never would have expected.

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, playing his first Test in eight years after having given up on such a dream, tossed one and Jaiswal forward defended it, edging the ball to Harry Brook at slip.

The 35-year-old Dawson couldn’t contain his excitement while Jaiswal, a very good player of spin, couldn’t believe what had just occurred.

England now sensed an opportunity and their skipper Stokes bent his back to haggle India, especially Sai Sudharsan.

The southpaw, who was dropped after his debut game in Headingley, however, didn’t get flustered even after an edge was dropped by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith down the leg side. He nicely mixed defence with aggression to keep soldering on along with Gill.

But just 14 minutes before tea, India lost their big fish due to a miscalculation. The street-smart Stokes swung one in and Gill, assuming the ball would swing away, offered no shot and it struck him flush on the pads.