IND vs ENG Test series: Classy Root continues love affair with Old Trafford as England gains control

Joe Root’s love affair with Old Trafford continued as his milestone-laden century put England on top in what could possibly be the series-deciding Test.

Making the most of the bright sunshine and favourable conditions, Root (150, 248b, 14×4) brought up his 38th century and on the way became the second-highest run-scorer in Test history surpassing Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting. Now, only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him in the list with 15,921 runs.

As records tumbled, a nonchalant Root focused on building crucial partnerships — first with Ollie Pope (144) and later with Ben Stokes (unbroken 142) — as England ended the day at 544 for seven, and pushed India on the back foot with a 186-run lead.

In his illustrious career, Root has had numerous memorable moments at the famous venue, where he remains the leading run-scorer for England in red-ball cricket, and as the Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure on Friday, the veteran marched on.

Shubman Gill under-bowled Washington Sundar for the larger period of the first session, and eventually, when he was brought into the attack after lunch, the off-spinner picked up the wickets of Pope and Harry Brook to momentarily boost India’s confidence. However, Root and Stokes put England back on top.

Letting the game drift

Conservative strategy and fitness concerns for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj meant India let the game drift. Bumrah, who struggled after rolling his left ankle while climbing down the dressing room staircase, bowled only one over with the new ball post lunch before leaving the field. His absence meant that he wasn’t allowed to bowl before tea, even though he returned to the field shortly.

With no Bumrah around and Siraj hobbling off the field for a while, India’s fast bowling attack was in disarray as Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj, who bowled under 130 kmph, erred in line and length as plenty of boundaries came along.

India’s plan to use spinners Washington and Ravindra Jadeja in tandem, too, did not yield the results as England went past 400 with ease before Root brought up his hundred by glancing Kamboj for a four.

Missed chance

Root, however, got lucky earlier in the innings when Jadeja missed a run-out opportunity at the non-striker’s end, and making the most of it, he went on to become the first batter to score 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford.

Though India found some momentum with some quick wickets in the final session, England was firmly in control of the game by then. Stokes (77 batting, 134b, 6×4), after a hamstring pull, returned to action and ensured that there was no further loss.

Kamboj and Shardul were brought in to reduce the workload of Bumrah, but on a challenging surface, they bowled 29 overs together, whereas Bumrah alone bowled 28.

No back-up plan

With captain Gill failing to come up with a back-up plan, and his bowlers failing to seize the key moments, it was a day of despair for India.

At a venue, where it has never won a Test, India conceded a 500-plus total and has its back to the wall.