England have their nose ahead in Manchester Test

Toss lost, put into bat. Overcast skies and a seaming pitch—conditions that rarely favour the side batting first. But India responded with grit and sound judgment.

KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal brought back the virtues Test cricket so often craves: restraint, patience, and the ability to leave well. On a pitch as fickle as Old Trafford’s—placid one moment, spiteful the next—fortunes can shift swiftly. Wickets tend to fall in clusters, but when they don’t, partnerships can thrive.

The openers provided a solid start. Sai Sudharsan, still new to the Test arena, impressed with his poise. His 61 hinted at promise, though he will learn with time that starts must be capitalised on. The middle order faltered under pressure, but the lower half showed resilience, pushing India to a fighting total of 358.

It was an innings of shared responsibility, but lacked a defining knock. Sudharsan’s contribution stood out, but India needed more heft to stamp authority.

Ben Stokes, ever the workhorse, bowled a long and testing spell to claim five wickets. Once again, he led by example—embodying the spirit and burden of captaincy.

Yet the defining moment of the innings belonged to Rishabh Pant.

Walking in with a fractured foot, he defied both pain and probability. Players like Pant—who have returned from the edge, having stared down life’s harshest trials—often carry a quiet conviction that they are being steered by something greater. Their performances carry the stamp of fate.

Pant’s return wasn’t just courageous—it was emblematic of Test cricket’s enduring theatre. A moment to be frozen in time, destined to be recounted for years.

England’s reply was swift and assertive. Duckett and Crawley, scoring at nearly five an over, pared down India’s total with clinical efficiency. Their 166-run opening stand shifted the momentum. At 225 for 2 in just 46 overs by stumps on Day 2, England had edged ahead.

Day 3 will be decisive. Unless India strike early and sustain pressure, the match risks slipping out of their grasp. The morning session could well decide the course of this Test.