Manchester: Half an hour before the toss, head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a huddle with bowling coach Morne Morkel, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and captain Shubman Gill. Soon, Shardul Thakur took off his jacket, marked his run-up and was seen going through his warm-ups. India decided to go in with the extra seamer — in overcast conditions here at Old Trafford — and leave out Karun Nair. Ben Stokes elected to bowl first, in a bid to run through the opposition. It was supposed to be the most challenging first-day conditions for opening batters.An hour into the last session, India would have believed they had negated the seam-bowling advantage before Rishabh Pant hobbled off with a bruised right foot.The incident led to a lapse in concentration from a well set Sai Sudharsan, who fell after scoring a classy 61 off 151 balls to expose the lower middle order. That left Ravindra Jadeja again with some damage control to do, this time with Shardul Thakur for company. Thakur responded to the team management’s call by taking India to 264/4 before bad light intervened. Jadeja and Thakur will resume Day Two against the new ball.Barring the capitulation in the fourth innings of the third Test, the Indian top order has by and large responded with big performances on this tour. Under the grey skies at Old Trafford, India may have found a new batting star on this tour.
Sai Sudharsan displayed exemplary technique and temperament, reaching 61 off 151 to stabilise the innings. And then the lack of experience kicked in. He hooked Stokes straight down the throat of Brydon Carse at long-leg, exposing the lower middle order.Sudharsan’s job was partly made easy by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who ensured India didn’t lose any wickets in the first session.Sudharsan, however, had a job to do once Jaiswal and Rahul departed in the space of 26 runs, for 58 and 46 respectively. The Manchester pitch has been a batter’s paradise this first-class season. It has true pace and bounce. But one must remember the batters have been spoilt on pretty docile pitches in the first three Tests.
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Sudharsan was brought in after Nair failed to convert his starts in the first three Tests. The Indian team expected more from a No. 3 and Sudharsan delivered, batting out 151 balls.Stokes, expectedly, threw the toughest challenges at the Indian batters. He experimented with his line, field and movement.He has been the most threatening English bowler in this series by far, and carried the rhythm from the Lord’s Test into this Test. Stokes had sledged Gill at Lord’s, saying, “He has scored 600 runs for the series. He ain’t getting any more!” Stokes took the responsibility to dismiss the Indian captain with a sharp inswinger which hit Gill’s pads in front of the stumps as he shouldered arms.Sudharsan survived a chance when wicketkeeper Jamie Smith dropped tickled down the leg-side off Stokes. The batter finally succumbed to the mind games of the England captain, leaving India delicately placed.
