England benefited from an injury to India’s Rishabh Pant on a hard-fought opening day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Pant had scored 37 in an important stand with Sai Sudharsan when he attempted a reverse sweep at Chris Woakes and was struck on the right foot. After treatment on the field, Pant retired hurt.
The recalled Sudharsan was making England pay for wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s drop until he hooked Ben Stokes to long leg for 61.
That left India 264-4 at the close, with the tourists waiting on the results of a scan on Pant’s injury.
England are looking for the win that would seal the series, and captain Stokes took two important wickets after again choosing to field on winning a fourth successive toss.
Under a near-constant cloudy sky and on a pitch that offered something throughout the day, India dug in – Yashasvi Jaiswal made a watchful 58, KL Rahul a typically correct 46.
England were arguably a touch short with the new ball, then improved after lunch.
Chris Woakes was rewarded for a fine spell by an edge off Rahul, left-arm spinner Liam Dawson struck with his seventh ball after eight years out of Test cricket to remove Jaiswal, and Stokes had opposing captain Shubman Gill lbw playing no stroke.
Sudharsan was put down on 20 and rebuilt with Pant, whose exit was a breakthrough England desperately needed, albeit in unfortunate circumstances for the India wicketkeeper.
