England vs India 4th Test: Day 1 talking points

A gloomy Manchester day bore witness to some riveting cricket as England and India once again saw their fortunes fluctuate from one session to the next.

And at the end of an evenly contested Day 1 of the fourth Test, England would have the slightly happier camp despite India finishing at a reasonably comfortable 266/4, with all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur each holding the fort at 19 runs when play was called off due to bad light.

Here are the talking points from a pulsating day of action at Emirates Old Trafford.

Liam Dawson’s triumphant return

This was not supposed to happen for Liam Dawson. In his own words, the 35-year-old was not expecting to play Test cricket for England again. But here he is, eight long years later, wearing the whites for his country once more after having a dominant past two years in the county circuit for Hampshire.

Now that the opportunity has presented itself, it doesn’t look like Dawson is going to let it slip. Bowling against a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had already reached his 50 and was looking well on course for a three-figure score, Dawson immediately got him uncomfortable by bowling a tight line on the stumps. This drew Jaiswal into two edges in his first over that didn’t carry, but Dawson was third time lucky. 

On the first ball of his second over, the same line finally drew an edge that was pouched by Harry Brook at first slip, and off went Dawson on a celebration that was well-deserved for all the grit and grind he showed while out of the side. 

Dawson continued to bowl a tight line and stem the flow of runs from one end, which allowed the pacers to bowl tight overs from the other. Dawson has made a triumphant return in an age when others contemplate hanging up their boots. Long may it continue.

Shubman Gill falls prey to outside noise

In the first two Tests, Shubman Gill was batting like a dream, and there were genuine discussions about whether he might break Sir Don Bradman’s record of 974 runs in a single series by the end of the fifth Test. 

However, ever since that feisty exchange at Lord’s, it seems the tables have turned, and Gill now looks like a completely different batter — and not in a good way. 

Coming in after Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill did not appear his usual calm self. He was hurried, flustered, and edgy during his brief stay at the crease. He attempted an ungainly slog sweep within his first five balls, nearly got out trying a slog over mid-on, and was generally not in control. To make matters worse, his mode of dismissal was the most unusual of the lot: shouldering arms to a gun-barrel straight delivery that crashed into his pads for an LBW.

After all the verbal volleys, it seems the Team India captain has become a victim of them — and his batting is bearing the brunt.

Rishabh Pant’s injury changes the dynamic

It’s safe to say that whatever Rishabh Pant does has a direct bearing on the result of the game he’s playing in. And that’s exactly what transpired again on the first day of this Test. With India in a bit of a spot at 140/3, Pant walked in and, along with fellow southpaw B Sai Sudharsan, stitched together a composed, comfortable, and confident 72-run stand to put England on the back foot. 

Pant was playing the way only he does, sweeping Jofra Archer for four on one knee, hitting Brydon Carse straight over his head for a huge six, and more. He looked extremely dangerous once again, reaching 37 off 47, when his impetuousness came back to haunt India.

Attempting to reverse-sweep Chris Woakes off a very straight delivery, Pant missed the ball completely, and it crashed into his toe. While he was given not out — as the ball had kissed the edge of the bat — the damage was done. Pant could barely stand or put weight on his right foot. He eventually had to be carted off in a golf buggy and taken away for scans to assess the extent of the injury.

Pant’s exit allowed England to regain control and eventually snare the wicket of the well-set Sai Sudharsan as well. With reports suggesting a toe fracture that could sideline him for six weeks, that one ill-advised shot may end up having a huge bearing on the outcome of this Test — and the series.