India script Miraculous draw at Manchester Test, Jadeja, Sundar shines

 

India’s second innings was into its 138th over. The score read 386 for 4. At the crease stood Washington Sundar on 80 and Ravindra Jadeja on 89. With about 90 minutes left in the match, Ben Stokes suddenly walked up to Jadeja and offered a handshake — a proposal for a draw. India’s two batters politely declined. They made it clear they wanted to continue batting. Since both sides did not agree, the umpires had no choice but to let the game continue.

The entire episode took just about three minutes, but it summed up the Manchester Test perfectly. From the brink of defeat, India had clawed their way back to secure a draw. On the morning of Day 4, few would have placed hope in this Indian team. Yet on Day 5, they walked off the field with heads held high — proving once again that the game isn’t lost until the last ball is bowled. As Ravi Shastri said in the commentary box, this was a “moral victory” for India.

The trio of Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja turned a certain loss into a spirited draw. It brought back memories of the Sydney Test three years ago, when Hanuma Vihari and R. Ashwin defied the odds to save the match. Even earlier, the legendary partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid at Eden Gardens in 2001 remains etched in Indian cricket history. Sunday’s fightback won’t be too far behind those in significance.

Batting for 143 overs in the second innings to draw a match is almost unheard of in modern times — especially in an era dominated by T20 cricket, where the red-ball format is often forgotten. All four Tests in this series went to the final day — another rarity in today’s game.

On Saturday, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul had batted for 62 overs, but every new day in Test cricket brings fresh challenges. So, it was up to Gill and Rahul to first survive the early overs.

After surviving for a while  on a misbehaving pitch KL Rahul got an unplayable ball on 5th morning from the relentless Ben Stokes that kept low and hit him on the pad in front of the stumps for 90. 

Washington, as always, quietly went about his task. His innings on Sunday was flawless — not a single chance given to the opposition. He knew very well that even one mistake could end it all, so he avoided any risky shots or rushed decisions.

After Gill’s dismissal for a magnificent 103 when he played a loose shot to Archer and was caught behind just before lunch , Jadeja who was dropped on ball one  took on that responsibility. Interestingly, India’s left-handed pair proved effective. For right-handers, the ball was pitching and cutting in, but that threat was significantly reduced for the left-handers. England’s entire pace attack was right-handed, which meant they couldn’t exploit the pitch conditions effectively.

England had only one spinner, Liam Dawson, also a left-hander. But he wasn’t bowling the kind of deliveries that could trouble the Indian batters. After the tea break, Stokes was seen advising Dawson to exploit the “rough” near the off-stump created by footmarks — but Dawson failed to do so.

Jadeja finally notched up his long-awaited century after four consecutive fifties in this series. He’s India’s most experienced player in this XI and once again proved his all-round mettle — both with bat and ball. Ironically, he had almost perished on the very first ball of the day — offering a catch at slip that Joe Root dropped. Had that been taken, the match could have ended right then.

Shubman Gill also deserves credit. Despite the questions raised about his captaincy and decision-making during the series, his batting left no room for criticism. At just 25, he has already matched or surpassed the likes of Gary Sobers, Don Bradman, and Sunil Gavaskar in several statistical milestones. Every time he walks out to bat, he seems to break or set a new record. It’s clear that he doesn’t let the burden of captaincy affect his batting. His gritty century under pressure was crucial — without it, India might have folded much earlier.

And finally, one must mention Ben Stokes. Despite attempting to end the game early and deny centuries to both Washington and Jadeja, his own contribution in this Test was undeniable. On Day 5, while bowling his opening spell, it was obvious that he was in physical discomfort — frequently reaching for his shoulder. Yet he pushed through, bowled several overs in a row, and even dismissed KL Rahul. But eventually, he faded. Stokes was the only bowler who had truly troubled the Indian batters, but even he was neutralized by India’s resilience on the final day.