India were bowled out for 358 in their first innings of the 4th Test at Old Trafford, with Ben Stokes leading England’s bowling effort with a brilliant five-wicket haul, which was his first in Tests since 2017. But what followed next was a frustrating passage of play for the visitors, as the English opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave their team a strong and steady start. The Indian bowlers failed to take early wickets, allowing England to build momentum without much resistance. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting didn’t mince words while analysing India’s performance, echoing sentiments expressed earlier by former India head coach and legend Ravi Shastri. “I think we heard it when we were waiting to come out just before the break, what Ravi Shastri said. It was rubbish. They just missed their areas,” Ricky Ponting said on Sky Sports Cricket. “I’m not sure what they were expecting out of the surface, but I was surprised that they actually went with (Anshul) Kamboj ahead of (Mohammed) Siraj with the new ball to start with, knowing what impact Siraj has had on this series so far, and knowing how important the start of England’s batting innings is. You know they’re going to come out and play their shots.”
Ponting was particularly critical of India’s line and length early in the innings. “I think they had to go to their best and most experienced bowlers. They got off to a flyer — way too straight to Duckett, so many boundaries square of the wicket on the leg side. You know you can’t bowl there. So they’ve got some work to do now. They’ve got to get together at the break and work out how they’re going to bowl to try and slow the scoring down, but then also work out how they’re going to get these two out,” added the veteran. India’s bowling options were already under strain going into this Test, with injuries ruling out Nitish Kumar Reddy and pace duo Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh.
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That left the team with no choice but to hand a debut to uncapped Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj. The youngster nearly picked up a wicket in his first over but was denied by fine margins — moments India would go on to rue as England’s openers took full advantage. As the second session drew to a close with no wickets in the bag, India’s hopes now rest on their bowlers striking back in the final phase of the day.Both Crawley and Duckett scored half-centuries, frustrating the Indian bowlers, as they continue their search for the first wicket.
