Sometimes, the only result possible might technically be a ‘draw', but the reality of the situation is undeniable, and the feeling is mutual between the two ‘warring' parties. There is a winner in this contest; there is that last man standing; someone did indeed have the last laugh. If you are fighting for survival, that is the kind of cut that you want to inflict. And that is what Team India did at Old Trafford in the fourth Test.
The Miracle At Old Trafford
Before we go any further, let's quickly wrap our heads around one statistic that might have slipped through the cracks in the absolute maze of all the records that have tumbled in this Test and the series overall. This was only the second drawn Test for the English team since Brendon McCullum took over as Head Coach, threw out the old playbook and ushered in the ‘Bazball' era. That's 40 Test matches and two draws. The other draw, which was against Australia, was also at Old Trafford (2023). To be able to draw a Test match like this one - with the opposition having taken a 311-run first-innings lead and then having you down on the mat at 0/2, with as many as five sessions left to play and with fast bowlers like Joffra Archer and Chris Woakes at their disposal - that is almost miraculous.
Yes, there's absolutely no doubt that the Manchester surface really helped the Indian batters grind it out and by the end of it completely took the wind out of the sails of the English bowlers (Ben Stokes used seven bowlers and was ready to shake hands on a draw before the last hour of play on Day Five), but do not let that take anything away from what the likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar managed to do with the bat. Rishabh Pant – the Indian batter with the best batting average in overseas Tests since 2020 – had heroically come out to bat with a broken foot in the first innings, and there was only so much the team could expect him to deliver in the second. Sundar had been pushed up the order to number five, and the message must have been a very clear one: ‘don't get out cheap'. When Rahul fell for 90 in the 71st over of the innings and then Shubman in the 88th, with over two sessions left to play, England would have smelled blood. But that's the closest they got to India's jugular.
All The Lessons Learnt
There's no doubt that the Indian team must have learnt a myriad of lessons so far in this series, in terms of things they could have done differently - both strategic and otherwise. However, the way the pieces fell, India's second innings of the Manchester Test was also the perfect reminder of India's Test batting prowess in the post Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara era - a few aspects of which have pleasantly surprised even the staunchest of critics.
Regardless of what the eventual series scoreline might be, this has been a series that has not only been a massive learning experience for the Indian youngsters, and perhaps in particular for new Test captain Shubman Gill (who also happens to be one of the biggest pillars of the batting department and going through an absolute purple patch), it has also been an eye-opener in many ways, in terms of what certain individual batters have brought to the table.
A New Dawn
When KL Rahul scored a century in a warm-up match with England Lions (116), few would have known that he was heralding a new dawn, both on his own Test career and for the one opener's slot that had not yet been fully cemented after Rohit Sharma's Test retirement. Eight Test innings later and with 511 runs already under his belt for the series (the most for him so far in a single Test series) and with two centuries (the most for him so far in a single Test series), Yashasvi Jaiswal well and truly has a long-term Test opening partner. And mind you, it's not just the runs that would have convinced the team management that the top of the order is where Rahul belongs.
It is also how he has found different gears to tackle different situations in the series so far, none more important perhaps than the one he exhibited in Manchester, as he watched - from the runner's end - two of his batting partners fall for ducks off consecutive deliveries, as the scoreboard read 0/2, with the team still 311 runs in the deficit. In the opening Test of the series, the stylish right-hander, who has played almost every single delivery he has faced on this tour entirely on merit, became the first Indian opener to score three Test centuries in England. In the fourth Test, he became the first Indian opener in 46 years to aggregate over 500 runs in an away Test series. He has always had the technique and the calmness required to be a successful Test batter, and he alone will perhaps know exactly what the mental tweaks are that have helped him finally realise his true potential.
Jadeja's Feat
This author has always felt that Ravindra Jadeja is a bit of an unsung hero, someone who wasn't really welcomed with open arms into the ‘superstar' club, despite having been recognised as a ‘rockstar' by Shane Warne way back in 2008. A man who walks into any Indian playing XI on the back of his all-round skills almost always finds a way to be involved in a match or series. On this tour of England, it's ‘Jaddu' the batter who has really stepped up to the plate, with ‘Jaddu' the spinner taking a backseat (7 wickets in 7 innings). The left-hander has batted twice in all four Tests so far and is currently the fourth highest run-getter in the series, behind only Shubman, Rahul and Pant, with 454 runs in 8 innings, at an average of almost 114, with one century and four fifties. It was heartbreaking to see how his almost single-handed effort of trying to save the Lord's Test went in vain.
Which is why (regardless of what Stokes might have thought of Jadeja and Sundar's decision to bat on to get to their individual centuries), the ton in Manchester was vindication for India's premier all-rounder and a great reminder of what he is still capable of in this format with the bat - something that becomes all the more apparent on foreign tours and often goes unnoticed in most home Test series.
Washington Sundar has come a long way since finishing as the 57th highest run-getter in the 2016 ICC U-19 World Cup, in which India finished as runners-up. He is now a bona fide Test centurion. It's an open secret that, in an effort to have more genuine all-rounders, the team management wants to have Sundar in the Test playing XI, and while his bowling skills are yet to bowl everyone over, the grit that Sundar the batter showed in Manchester in India's second innings must be lauded.
Survival, Survival
This was a scenario where the name of the game was survival. But one of the easiest traps to fall into for a youngster is to show off a bit. It was something Sundar managed to avoid, partly because of personal temperament and partly also because he understood exactly what the team needed from him in this scenario. It showed maturity and growth, and he fully deserved his maiden Test century.
As far as the other batting hero of Manchester - Shubman - is concerned, he has, of course, already established himself as one of the key cogs of this Indian batting line-up. While he has to be given time to grow into a more effective leader and perhaps a shrewder captain, what is incredible to see is the way he can compartmentalise his two roles - that of batter and of captain. It's something that has held him in good stead in the IPL, as Gujarat Titans skipper, and which will no doubt prove to be a huge asset in the years to come as India Test captain as well.
The last Test begins on July 31, and the quick turnaround might just work in India's favour, with the momentum firmly in the visitors' corner.
(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
