ENG vs IND, 4th Test, Day 1: India’s top order blunts England attack; visitors 264-4 at stumps

ENG vs IND 2025, 4th Test Day 1 Highlights: Fifties from Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan power India to 264/4 at stumps.

Brief Scores: India 264/4 (Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, Ben Stokes 2/47) vs England at stumps on Day 1. 

After a tense 22-run defeat at Lord’s, India came into the fourth Test of the five-match series with a 2-1 trail. The nine-day break before the Old Trafford red-ball fixture in Manchester saw the tourists fighting with several injuries. England, on the other hand, looked fresh and raring to earn the series victory. 

The surface looked firm with a grass cover on it. The overhead conditions expected the ball to move in the air. In the four County Championship 2025 clashes this season at this venue, all had been drawn. 

England captain Ben Stokes, on winning the toss, had no hesitation in bowling first. They brought back Liam Dawson into the side in place of injured Shoaib Bashir. It was the first red-ball clash for the left-arm spinner after eight years. India’s captain, Shubman Gill, was confused with the decision. The visitors handed a Test debut to Anshul Kamboj, besides adding Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan. 

Read More: What Anshul Kamboj brings to the table?

Let’s take a look at how the three sessions panned out on Day 1 of the fourth Test of Eng vs Ind 2025 series at Old Trafford: 

KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal give India strong platform with 78/0 
From the start of the session, both openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, seemed to work on their mistakes. Rahul was positive with his approach at the beginning, while the southpaw left several deliveries outside the off-stump. England didn’t pitch the ball up. When they did, the batters had a tough time. 

But as it had been the story of the series, once the ball became soft, it was easy to score runs. The visitors went to the lunch break with 78/0 in 26 overs. It was the second time in this series that they enjoyed a wicketless session. The first occasion was at Leeds when Gill and Jaiswal added 123 runs between lunch and tea on Day 1. 

England hit back with three crucial wickets; India restricted to 149/3
The second session didn’t start well for India, they lost opener KL Rahul early. Rahul looked to push the short ball from Chris Woakes, but he ended up getting an outside edge to the slip fielder. Jaiswal, who celebrated another fifty in the series, became Dawson’s first wicket on Test comeback after eight years. 

Gill made his way into the middle amidst an intense reception from the crowd. His press conference, on the eve of the game, where he didn’t appreciate England openers wasting time at Lord’s, wasn’t seemingly welcomed by the home fans. And it didn’t end well.  

The right-handed batter raised his arm to leave Stokes’ nip-backer, which jagged back to hit the pads. A failed attempt to review and challenge the umpire’s decision saw him dismissed for 12 runs. India finished the session with 149/3. 

Read More: India at Old Trafford in Tests: Statistical Highlights

Rishabh Pant’s injury concerns India, visitors reach 264/4 
The third session was moving smoothly for India with the 50+ run partnership between Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant. But the left-handed batter, trying to play a premeditated reverse-sweep, got hit on his foot. The injury was so serious that he was driven off the field. A few minutes later, Sai Sudharsan was bounced out by the England captain. 

The light started to deteriorate as Ravindra Jadeja complained to the umpires. The umpires didn’t allow England to take the second new ball before calling it the end of play. The tourists finished with 264/4. 

What to expect on Day 2
All eyes will be on Pant’s injury and whether he recovers to bat or keep wickets. The visitors will aim to score another 200-odd runs from here on to put pressure on the home team. It won’t be an easy surface to bat on in the fourth innings. 

Read More: India have slipped to no. 4 in ICC Test Rankings: Is there a way to arrest the slide?

Statistical Highlights from Old Trafford ENG vs IND 2025 Test, Day 1: 

• This is the first time in India’s Test cricket history that 5 left-handed batters are part of the playing XI.
• KL Rahul has crossed the 1000-run mark in Tests in England. He is the fifth India player to touch the landmark after Sachin Tendulkar (1575), Rahul Dravid (1376), Sunil Gavaskar (1152), and Virat Kohli (1096). 
• Jaiswal & Rahul brought up the first 50+ opening stand for India at Old Trafford since 1946 when Vijay Merchant & Syed Mushtaq Ali added 124 runs for this wicket at this venue.
• Rahul now has 421 runs in ATT 2025. This is the highest amount of runs compiled by him in a bilateral Test series in his career.
• Woakes dismissed Rahul for the third time in Tests. The batter has smashed 139 Test runs at an average of 46.3 and a strike rate of 53.70. 
• Jaiswal becomes the 20th India batter to top 1000 Test runs against England in Tests. He has the best average in this group.
• Jaiswal becomes the first India opener to score a Test half-century at Old Trafford in Manchester since 1974. 
• Pant is the sixth India batter to top 1000 runs in Tests in England.
• Rahul is only the second visiting opener to score 1000+ Test runs in England since the start of 2000. The other batter in the list is South Africa’s Graeme Smith with 1355 runs. 
• Sudharsan’s 61 is the first half-century by India’s number three in away Tests since Cheteshwar Pujara celebrated the landmark against Bangladesh in December 2022. 

Top Twitter Reactions from ENG vs IND 2025, Old Trafford Test, Day 1

Magnificent session for India. Proper test match batting and one characterised by control. Rahul is looking so pleasant at the crease. And Jaiswal has negotiated a little anxious period very well

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 23, 2025

Solid start from Team India. The first session is never easy, but KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal handled the tough conditions well. Now it’s time to capitalize after lunch.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 23, 2025

Dawson has deserved every bit of this!
Solid game plans and clearly has become a much much better bowler.🔥🔥

Value for over spin on this pitch👌 #ENGvIND

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 23, 2025

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