England Dominate with the Bat After Pant’s Gritty Fightback in Manchester

 

India had hoped that Rishabh Pant’s brave innings on a fractured foot would inspire a similarly aggressive response from their bowlers. But that hope quickly faded on Day 2 of the Manchester Test. It took India 32 overs to claim England’s first wicket, by which time Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley had already dismantled Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj with ease, making the Indian pace attack look pedestrian.

In stark contrast to India’s struggle on the same surface, England’s batters played with remarkable fluency. At stumps on Day 2, England were 225 for 2, trailing by just 133 runs in reply to India’s 358. Both Duckett and Crawley narrowly missed out on centuries, but their dominant opening stand has placed Ben Stokes' men in a commanding position. If England continue at this pace, they could easily overtake India's score early on Day 3.

The biggest highlight for India on Day 2 was Rishabh Pant. After suffering a serious injury on the opening day, many believed he would be ruled out of the rest of the series. But to everyone’s surprise, Pant turned up ready to bat. He walked in after Shardul Thakur fell at 41 and, despite visibly struggling to run, he never backed down. Limping between the wickets, Pant battled on to score a fighting half-century, pushing India past the 350 mark. His innings ended on 54 when he was bowled by Jofra Archer, as India were all out for 358.

Ben Stokes once again led England’s bowling effort with a brilliant five-wicket haul—his third straight impactful performance in the series. Archer backed him up well with three wickets. What truly stood out was how much the English seamers managed to swing the ball—even after 30 overs. The overcast conditions in the morning only added to their advantage.

But the scenario flipped dramatically when India came on to bowl. The clouds cleared, the sun emerged, and India lost any atmospheric help. There may have also been a tactical misstep—Shubman Gill handed the new ball to debutant Anshul Kamboj instead of partnering Bumrah with Siraj. Kamboj’s medium pace (around 125–130 km/h) lacked bite, and he was expensive from the outset. This disrupted Bumrah's rhythm at the other end too. By the tea break, England had stormed to 77 without loss in just 14 overs.

Post-tea, the same pattern continued. It felt as though India and England were batting on two entirely different pitches. Siraj and Shardul also leaked runs, with England scoring at five runs per over. Both openers brought up their fifties comfortably. Except for Bumrah, none of the Indian bowlers even managed a maiden over.

Ravindra Jadeja finally broke the stand by dismissing Crawley for 84. Kamboj then removed Duckett for 94, who was visibly dejected after missing his ton due to a reckless shot. Despite the two breakthroughs, India couldn’t maintain any sustained pressure. Joe Root and Ollie Pope safely negotiated the remaining overs, with India’s bowling looking far from threatening.

England scored 225 runs in just 46 overs on the second day—an alarming scoring rate for India. If they don’t claw their way back in the first session on Day 3, the match could slip out of their hands by the end of the day. The next morning will be crucial for Shubman Gill and his men.