India pulled off a thrilling draw in the Old Trafford Test thanks to strong batting performances that rescued them from the jaws of a certain defeat. Centuries from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar helped the visitors stay alive in the series ahead of the final Test. England currently lead the five-match series 2-1.
On the final day, India resumed their innings at 174/2, still trailing England’s first-innings total by 311 runs. Having lost their first two wickets for zero the previous day, India looked in danger of suffering an innings defeat. But a solid resistance from Gill and KL Rahul brought them back into the contest.
Gill and Rahul put on a 188-run stand for the third wicket to rescue the team. Captain Gill reached his century with a score of 103, marking his fourth century of the series. With this, he equaled the record for most centuries in a single series as captain, joining the elite company of Sir Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar.
Rahul narrowly missed his century, falling LBW to England captain Ben Stokes for 90. At that point, India were 188/3.
Gill departed as the fourth batter with the team score at 222. India still trailed by 89 runs. Washington Sundar then came to the crease and was joined by Ravindra Jadeja. The pair built a resilient partnership that ultimately helped India save the match.
Before the final hour of play, England captain Stokes offered a draw to Jadeja and Sundar. However, both were on the verge of centuries and declined the offer.
As the light faded and visibility dropped, Harry Brook and Joe Root were forced to bowl gentle spin. It was in that period that both Indian batters reached their centuries—Jadeja hitting a six off Brook to bring up his fifth Test ton, and Sundar reaching his hundred 15 balls later.
India declared their innings at 425/4, leading England’s first innings by 114 runs.
Jadeja remained unbeaten on 107 off 185 balls, while Sundar was not out on 101 off 206 balls. The pair shared an unbroken 203-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
With this draw, the final Test at The Oval starting on July 31 has now become the series decider.
