IND vs ENG 4th Test Day 1: Promising start ends in collapse, Rishabh Pant injured as India end bitter-sweet opening Day in Manchester

Shubman Gill-led India ended Day 1 of the fourth Test against England at 264 for 4 at Emirates Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, with the match swinging both ways. Sai Sudharsan made the most of his Test comeback by scoring a solid fifty, while vice captain Rishabh Pant’s injury added a worrying note for the visitors.

At stumps on Day 1, Ravindra Jadeja (19*) and Shardul Thakur (19*) were unbeaten at the crease, holding on under fading light. Earlier in the day, Indian openers KL Rahul (46) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) were off to a great start, putting up their best opening stand of the series with 94 runs.

Sudharsan, who came in place of Karun Nair in the XI, looked steady and determined during his knock of 61 runs off 151 balls. He stayed patient early on and took advantage of the loose deliveries, including a few boundaries against Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. He also had a bit of luck as he was dropped by the wicketkeeper when on 20.

Pant, who joined Sudharsan after Gill's wicket, was looking set with some aggressive strokes. But his innings was cut short at 37 when he missed a reverse hit off Chris Woakes and was struck hard on the right foot. He looked in a lot of pain and had to leave the field in a golf cart. Blood stains on his foot made things worse, especially since he had just returned from a finger injury picked up during the Lord’s Test.

Earlier, after Lunch, England bounced back by removing Rahul, Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill in quick succession. Woakes picked up KL Rahul's wicket on a ball that moved away and found the edge, while Jaiswal was dismissed by Liam Dawson after edging to slip. Skipper Gill misjudged an in-swinger from Stokes and was trapped LBW.
 

After being asked to bat, India made a good start under overcast skies. The pitch at Old Trafford was on the slower side, helping the batters adjust to the pace. Jaiswal showed caution, especially after getting out by Archer in the last Test, and even had to change his bat after one ball broke the handle.

At lunch, India were 78 for no loss, with both openers surviving some tricky spells. Woakes looked the most threatening, but the lack of pace in the pitch meant the ball didn’t carry much, making it easier for the Indian batters to deal with short balls.

Captain Shubman Gill had backed Karun Nair to play at No. 3, but eventually decided to go with Sudharsan. The team also had to make two injury-related changes, with Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur coming in for Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy.