
Root's run chase and seamers doubling up – Old Trafford talking points
Root climbing ranks
Joe Root could soon have only Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him on the Test runs list (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Hardly a match goes by these days where Joe Root is not setting a new statistical milestone – and he is on the verge of a huge one this week. If he adds 120 runs to his current haul of 13,259, the Yorkshireman will move up to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list. Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting are in his sights and then only the great Sachin Tendulkar, who has 15,921 runs, will be ahead of him. After his gritty 104 at Lord's in the first innings, the 34-year-old could add to his tally and reach a historic milestone. As Ben Stokes said in his pre-match press conference, Root is 'the absolute GOAT'.
Dawson balances XI
In the squad. In the team.
Let's do this, LD 👊 pic.twitter.com/KXkhhzFQ6v
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025
Shoaib Bashir's Test summer is over because of a broken finger he suffered at Lord's, which has opened the door for fellow spinner Liam Dawson's return to the Test side. The slow left-armer's last red-ball outing for England was all the way back in July 2017 but he has lit up the domestic scene for Hampshire with more than 100 wickets in the past couple of seasons. He was in electric form with the bat as well last year with 956 County Championship runs at an average just below 60. Dawson bats at number six for his county, so for England to have that quality batting at eight adds great depth to the side.
Archer and Bumrah go back-to-back
Jofra Archer, left, and Jasprit Bumrah have both been selected to play consecutive weeks (Bradley Collyer/Danny Lawson/PA)
England naming the same frontline fast bowling attack as they did at Lord's means Jofra Archer keeps his place. In his first Test appearance after a four-and-a-half-year absence, he cracked the game wide open in India's doomed pursuit of 193 with three crucial wickets including dangerman Rishabh Pant. Being able to call upon Archer's pace and hostility is vital for England. India, meanwhile, are set to retain Jasprit Bumrah for the third of three scheduled appearances this summer. Despite only playing twice so far, he is second on the wicket-taking charts with 12 at an average of 21. His impact is astronomical, and he is set to play a huge part in a must-win Test for India.
India look for Reddy-made replacement
Nitish Kumar Reddy is a notable absentee for India (Bradley Collyer/PA)
India will be without all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for the remainder of the series due to a knee injury. One option India have is to bring left-arm leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the side. That would leave them with three spinners at a ground that has been known to turn, and a trio of Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja is a potent attack. But playing one less seamer with doubts around the notoriously unpredictable weather forecast in Manchester could leave India vulnerable.
Will the needle continue?
Tempers flared throughout the Lord's Test (Bradley Collyer/PA)
One of the biggest talking points after the Lord's Test last week was the slow over-rate and constant ball changes from both sides. However, a time-wasting row late on the third evening lit the touchpaper for a fiery last couple of days. Shubman Gill reopened old wounds by insisting Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett acted against the fabled 'spirit of the game'. Harry Brook, meanwhile, revealed England head coach Brendon McCullum told them they were 'too nice' and that the flashpoint with Crawley and Duckett was an 'opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys'. With the series on the line in Manchester, do not be surprised if the needle continues this week.

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North Wales Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul hold up England's push for fourth-Test victory
The England skipper had been without a three-figure score since the 2023 Ashes but he turned his overnight 77 into 141 on the fourth morning as his side were all out for 669 at Emirates Old Trafford. When Chris Woakes removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan from successive deliveries with India yet to eat into a 311-run deficit, England might have had hopes of quickly wrapping up a 3-1 series lead. Chris Woakes! 🔥 A heart-in-mouth moment for Joe Root who nearly fumbles… but the man of the hour holds on and we have our first! 🇮🇳 0️⃣-1️⃣ — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2025 But following a tough start to the afternoon session, Gill made 52 not out, having been dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson, and Rahul an unbeaten 30 as India went to tea on 86 for two, still trailing by 225. England's total was their highest at home in the Bazball era, with only the 823 they amassed in Multan last October eclipsing it, with Stokes to the fore on Saturday as he recorded a 14th Test hundred. He also joined Lord Botham, Tony Greig and Gus Atkinson as the only Englishmen to make a ton and take a five-wicket haul in the same match although he curiously did not bowl himself on Saturday afternoon. Having struggled with cramp the previous evening, Stokes was put through his paces first thing, scampering through for a single, getting home despite Anshul Kamboj's direct hit from mid-on. Stokes smeared Mohammed Siraj twice through the covers but lost Dawson for company after he was bowled by one that kept low from Jasprit Bumrah, having fended one off a length the ball before. Stokes breezed to 99 but then played and missed at Bumrah, facing five more nervous dots before glancing Siraj off his pads for his ninth four and 14th Test ton, which he celebrated by removing his left glove and doing his crooked finger celebration, looking at the sky in memory of his father, Ged. Stokes went to 7,000 Test runs in style by thrashing off-spinner Washington Sundar back over his head for six then reverse-sweeping him for four after England's total had gone past 600. Ravindra Jadeja was also carted for a couple of sixes before Stokes holed out while Brydon Carse did likewise in the slow left-arm spinner's next over, leaving India a tricky 15-minute period to bat before lunch. They were unable to emerge unscathed as Woakes squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal fourth ball, with Joe Root initially unable to cling on but scooping the rebound just above the turf. It got even better as Sai Sudharsan shaped to leave the next delivery but the ball took the edge and flew to Harry Brook. Gill negotiated the hat-trick ball, albeit after being rapped on the pad with Woakes' optimistic appeal turned down, but he had to overcome a testing period immediately after lunch from Jofra Archer. England's fast bowler pleaded for a review after locating Gill's front pad but the third umpire was unable to detect whether bat was involved first so the on-field official's not out decision remained. Gill's bottom hand, already bandaged, was struck two deliveries later while he survived another lbw in an eventful first over back but he rode out the storm and found some fluency as the ball got older. With Rahul appearing totally unflustered, England went up for a desperate lbw when Gill was on 45 before he was put down on 46 as a diving Liam Dawson shelled a difficult chance at backward point. Despite his first-innings five-for, Stokes did not bring himself on, even turning to Root to turn his arm over just before tea, with Gill bringing up a fifty to end the session.

Leader Live
20 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul hold up England's push for fourth-Test victory
The England skipper had been without a three-figure score since the 2023 Ashes but he turned his overnight 77 into 141 on the fourth morning as his side were all out for 669 at Emirates Old Trafford. When Chris Woakes removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan from successive deliveries with India yet to eat into a 311-run deficit, England might have had hopes of quickly wrapping up a 3-1 series lead. Chris Woakes! 🔥 A heart-in-mouth moment for Joe Root who nearly fumbles… but the man of the hour holds on and we have our first! 🇮🇳 0️⃣-1️⃣ — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2025 But following a tough start to the afternoon session, Gill made 52 not out, having been dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson, and Rahul an unbeaten 30 as India went to tea on 86 for two, still trailing by 225. England's total was their highest at home in the Bazball era, with only the 823 they amassed in Multan last October eclipsing it, with Stokes to the fore on Saturday as he recorded a 14th Test hundred. He also joined Lord Botham, Tony Greig and Gus Atkinson as the only Englishmen to make a ton and take a five-wicket haul in the same match although he curiously did not bowl himself on Saturday afternoon. Having struggled with cramp the previous evening, Stokes was put through his paces first thing, scampering through for a single, getting home despite Anshul Kamboj's direct hit from mid-on. Stokes smeared Mohammed Siraj twice through the covers but lost Dawson for company after he was bowled by one that kept low from Jasprit Bumrah, having fended one off a length the ball before. Stokes breezed to 99 but then played and missed at Bumrah, facing five more nervous dots before glancing Siraj off his pads for his ninth four and 14th Test ton, which he celebrated by removing his left glove and doing his crooked finger celebration, looking at the sky in memory of his father, Ged. Stokes went to 7,000 Test runs in style by thrashing off-spinner Washington Sundar back over his head for six then reverse-sweeping him for four after England's total had gone past 600. Ravindra Jadeja was also carted for a couple of sixes before Stokes holed out while Brydon Carse did likewise in the slow left-arm spinner's next over, leaving India a tricky 15-minute period to bat before lunch. They were unable to emerge unscathed as Woakes squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal fourth ball, with Joe Root initially unable to cling on but scooping the rebound just above the turf. It got even better as Sai Sudharsan shaped to leave the next delivery but the ball took the edge and flew to Harry Brook. Gill negotiated the hat-trick ball, albeit after being rapped on the pad with Woakes' optimistic appeal turned down, but he had to overcome a testing period immediately after lunch from Jofra Archer. England's fast bowler pleaded for a review after locating Gill's front pad but the third umpire was unable to detect whether bat was involved first so the on-field official's not out decision remained. Gill's bottom hand, already bandaged, was struck two deliveries later while he survived another lbw in an eventful first over back but he rode out the storm and found some fluency as the ball got older. With Rahul appearing totally unflustered, England went up for a desperate lbw when Gill was on 45 before he was put down on 46 as a diving Liam Dawson shelled a difficult chance at backward point. Despite his first-innings five-for, Stokes did not bring himself on, even turning to Root to turn his arm over just before tea, with Gill bringing up a fifty to end the session.


South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul hold up England's push for fourth-Test victory
The England skipper had been without a three-figure score since the 2023 Ashes but he turned his overnight 77 into 141 on the fourth morning as his side were all out for 669 at Emirates Old Trafford. When Chris Woakes removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan from successive deliveries with India yet to eat into a 311-run deficit, England might have had hopes of quickly wrapping up a 3-1 series lead. Chris Woakes! 🔥 A heart-in-mouth moment for Joe Root who nearly fumbles… but the man of the hour holds on and we have our first! 🇮🇳 0️⃣-1️⃣ — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2025 But following a tough start to the afternoon session, Gill made 52 not out, having been dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson, and Rahul an unbeaten 30 as India went to tea on 86 for two, still trailing by 225. England's total was their highest at home in the Bazball era, with only the 823 they amassed in Multan last October eclipsing it, with Stokes to the fore on Saturday as he recorded a 14th Test hundred. He also joined Lord Botham, Tony Greig and Gus Atkinson as the only Englishmen to make a ton and take a five-wicket haul in the same match although he curiously did not bowl himself on Saturday afternoon. Having struggled with cramp the previous evening, Stokes was put through his paces first thing, scampering through for a single, getting home despite Anshul Kamboj's direct hit from mid-on. Stokes smeared Mohammed Siraj twice through the covers but lost Dawson for company after he was bowled by one that kept low from Jasprit Bumrah, having fended one off a length the ball before. Stokes breezed to 99 but then played and missed at Bumrah, facing five more nervous dots before glancing Siraj off his pads for his ninth four and 14th Test ton, which he celebrated by removing his left glove and doing his crooked finger celebration, looking at the sky in memory of his father, Ged. Stokes went to 7,000 Test runs in style by thrashing off-spinner Washington Sundar back over his head for six then reverse-sweeping him for four after England's total had gone past 600. Ravindra Jadeja was also carted for a couple of sixes before Stokes holed out while Brydon Carse did likewise in the slow left-arm spinner's next over, leaving India a tricky 15-minute period to bat before lunch. They were unable to emerge unscathed as Woakes squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal fourth ball, with Joe Root initially unable to cling on but scooping the rebound just above the turf. It got even better as Sai Sudharsan shaped to leave the next delivery but the ball took the edge and flew to Harry Brook. Gill negotiated the hat-trick ball, albeit after being rapped on the pad with Woakes' optimistic appeal turned down, but he had to overcome a testing period immediately after lunch from Jofra Archer. England's fast bowler pleaded for a review after locating Gill's front pad but the third umpire was unable to detect whether bat was involved first so the on-field official's not out decision remained. Gill's bottom hand, already bandaged, was struck two deliveries later while he survived another lbw in an eventful first over back but he rode out the storm and found some fluency as the ball got older. With Rahul appearing totally unflustered, England went up for a desperate lbw when Gill was on 45 before he was put down on 46 as a diving Liam Dawson shelled a difficult chance at backward point. Despite his first-innings five-for, Stokes did not bring himself on, even turning to Root to turn his arm over just before tea, with Gill bringing up a fifty to end the session.