<p>Manchester: The irrepressible <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rishabh-pant">Rishabh Pant</a> took his bravado to another level by turning up to bat with a fractured foot, but smashing performances from <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ben-stokes">Ben Stokes</a>, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley saw England put India through the wringer on an engrossing second day of the fourth Test here on Thursday.</p>.<p>Pant, who was struck flush on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on the opening day, stunned everyone by walking out to bat despite the prognosis not being great. Limping in every stride of his, the vice-captain struck a heroic 54 off 75 balls that had the sold-out Old Trafford crowd in utter awe. Stokes, another gutsy character like Pant who has a habit of doing extraordinary things, ensured the fight from Pant and India’s lower middle-order didn’t last long as his 5-72 — his first fifer in Tests in eight years — enabled England to bowl out the visitors for 358.</p>.<p>England openers Duckett (94, 100b) and Crawley (84, 113b) then feasted on extremely ordinary bowling from the Indians to get their side off to a scorching start, the hosts taking stumps at 225/2, trailing by just 133 runs. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, debutante Anshul Kamboj and Mohammed Siraj, as well as seaming all-rounder Shardul Thakur, constantly strayed down the leg-side, unable to exhibit any sort of control with the new ball, and Crawley and Duckett feasted on the freebies laid on a silver platter. </p>.Pant braves through injury, but England seize control on second day.<p>The gifts which the Indian bowlers offered delighted Crawley especially. Barring a 65 in the second innings of the opening Test at Headingley, the 6’5’’ tall right-hander has been struggling for form, with his place in the side questioned at times. But with the gloomy weather making way for splashing sunshine and Indians bowling rubbish, Crawley just made hay as he unleashed his power game, hammering everything in his sight. </p>.<p>For the in-form Duckett, who engineered a famous victory at Headingley with a pulsating 149 in the second innings as England chased down 371, it was Christmas coming early. At the start of his innings, the Indians just kept bowling at his pads — not one or two but all of them — and Duckett dispatched all of them to boundaries with utter disdain. It was carnage at both ends and Indian skipper Shubman Gill struggled to contain the tsunami caused by the England duo. The only hope was either a brilliant ball or the batters throwing away their wicket in their high-speed approach.</p>.<p>The ageless Ravindra Jadeja caused one of them as he got Crawley to edge a ball, KL Rahul pulling off a brilliant catch at first slip to end a 166-run stand off 32 overs.</p>
<p>Manchester: The irrepressible <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rishabh-pant">Rishabh Pant</a> took his bravado to another level by turning up to bat with a fractured foot, but smashing performances from <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ben-stokes">Ben Stokes</a>, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley saw England put India through the wringer on an engrossing second day of the fourth Test here on Thursday.</p>.<p>Pant, who was struck flush on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on the opening day, stunned everyone by walking out to bat despite the prognosis not being great. Limping in every stride of his, the vice-captain struck a heroic 54 off 75 balls that had the sold-out Old Trafford crowd in utter awe. Stokes, another gutsy character like Pant who has a habit of doing extraordinary things, ensured the fight from Pant and India’s lower middle-order didn’t last long as his 5-72 — his first fifer in Tests in eight years — enabled England to bowl out the visitors for 358.</p>.<p>England openers Duckett (94, 100b) and Crawley (84, 113b) then feasted on extremely ordinary bowling from the Indians to get their side off to a scorching start, the hosts taking stumps at 225/2, trailing by just 133 runs. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, debutante Anshul Kamboj and Mohammed Siraj, as well as seaming all-rounder Shardul Thakur, constantly strayed down the leg-side, unable to exhibit any sort of control with the new ball, and Crawley and Duckett feasted on the freebies laid on a silver platter. </p>.Pant braves through injury, but England seize control on second day.<p>The gifts which the Indian bowlers offered delighted Crawley especially. Barring a 65 in the second innings of the opening Test at Headingley, the 6’5’’ tall right-hander has been struggling for form, with his place in the side questioned at times. But with the gloomy weather making way for splashing sunshine and Indians bowling rubbish, Crawley just made hay as he unleashed his power game, hammering everything in his sight. </p>.<p>For the in-form Duckett, who engineered a famous victory at Headingley with a pulsating 149 in the second innings as England chased down 371, it was Christmas coming early. At the start of his innings, the Indians just kept bowling at his pads — not one or two but all of them — and Duckett dispatched all of them to boundaries with utter disdain. It was carnage at both ends and Indian skipper Shubman Gill struggled to contain the tsunami caused by the England duo. The only hope was either a brilliant ball or the batters throwing away their wicket in their high-speed approach.</p>.<p>The ageless Ravindra Jadeja caused one of them as he got Crawley to edge a ball, KL Rahul pulling off a brilliant catch at first slip to end a 166-run stand off 32 overs.</p>