ENG vs IND 4th Test Results

5:53 PM IST When the new ball swung in the first over, India were pegged on the back foot pretty quickly. But after that, the ball just stopped swinging as Shubman Gill started to score a few boundaries. And then, England did not have a backup plan. They tried to use the inconsistent bounce and managed to get Rahul's wicket as well on Day 5 morning, but just could not hit the same area consistently enough. Add to it, three mistakes cost them very big - first, Gill's drop on 48 by Liam Dawson on Saturday, then on 81 by Ollie Pope and Ravindra Jadeja put down first ball by Joe Root. The problem for the bowlers was such chances came very rarely and if they missed it, there was no second chance. But no complaints against the batters who just bed in. Washington Sundar was sent in at number 5, either to help Gill save the Test, considering that Jadeja is an attacking batter, or simply to keep Jadeja at 6, given his form. It worked big time for the tourists as the absence of Pant was rarely felt. Sundar started off very cautiously, before opening up post Lunch on Day 5.

5:39 PM IST The captain of England, BEN STOKES, is also ADJUDGED THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his 5-wicket haul in the first innings and a century with the bat. He reflects on the game with a touch of pride and a bit of disappointment. Says that as an all-rounder, he weighs on individual performance only by the result, and he would’ve absolutely loved it if they had ended up on the winning side. Still, he is happy that his contributions, both with the bat and the ball, stood out across the five days. Speaking about the physical and mental toll of the series, Stokes acknowledges that it’s been a big five to six weeks for him personally. But says that he told the boys, they’ve got one more Test, so let’s give it everything. Further adds that they will run through a brick wall if they have to. Mentions that his leadership mantra is to lead by example, and it’s tough work, but he’ll keep doing it. That’s just who he is. On his shoulder injury, Stokes explains it’s more about workload than anything serious, as he bowled quite a few overs. Explains that naturally, his body starts to feel it after a while. But he keeps reminding his bowlers to push more. He then analyzes how the pitch evolved, saying it got easier to bat on as the match went deeper. Adds that there was variable bounce, particularly tough for right-handers, as they saw this morning. But surprisingly, not much for the left-handers. Credits Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, calling the way they applied themselves and batted as really impressive. Details that they held firm when it mattered. Finally, he points to the positives for England, as he thinks their opening partnership really gave them the upper hand. Details that Crawley and Duckett set the tone beautifully, scoring at a good rate, which allowed them to aim to bat once and put pressure on India. Feels unfortunate that they just couldn’t get over the line in the end. Ends by saying that this series has been incredible so far with all Tests going into the fifth day.

5:37 PM IST The skipper of India, SHUBMAN GILL, reflects on the hard-fought draw with a sense of pride. Says it felt more like a win, considering the situation his side was in. Explains that losing two early wickets made things tricky, but he’s pleased with how the team responded and showed fight through the day. He shares that the talk in the dressing room was all about playing ball by ball, especially on a Day 5 pitch where anything can happen, variable bounce, turn, or even seam movement. Adds that they wanted to take the pitch out of the equation sometimes and just trust their technique. On the drama before the handshake, Gill first applauds the efforts of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both of whom were in the 90s and played with immense grit and composure. Feels that it was actually the call of the batters as to continue the game or not but they fully deserved their centuries, and that's why there was no urgency in shaking hands early. Mentions that every match in this series has gone down to the final session, and Gill feels that’s been a huge learning experience for the whole group. Now, he says that they want to head into the fifth match with the aim of drawing the series. That’s their focus. On his own form, Gill says that the number of runs doesn’t matter much to him. Says that he just wants to contribute to the team's success and enjoy his batting. Emphasizes the importance of batting deep, especially on such wickets, something they couldn’t do in the first innings but managed to correct in the second, and says that someone has to anchor the innings, and he’s glad that they did that this time. On Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the final Test, Gill says they'll wait and see on the eve of the final Test. As for the toss in this match, he shrugs it off, saying that it doesn’t really matter, and as long as they’re winning games or saving them like this, he’s happy.

5:32 PM IST Another Test match, another one lasting nearly 15 sessions. What's with the Eng-Ind series? But is anyone complaining? That's why 5-day cricket is important. You could have a bad day but then, can bounce back the next. And you could be on top for a long time, but unless you finish the job, the match is not yours. Also, the game could change in a span of minutes. Leave aside that sour note between the England team taking out their frustration on Ravindra Jadeja, this has been another fascinating Test. Although, the bowlers will feel that the curator needs to think about them as well. Both sides are struggling to pick up 20 wickets consistently and eventually, that's what's going to decide who wins the final Test. Will Jasprit Bumrah play? Should Siraj be rested? Will Kuldeep Yadav get a chance? For England, ​​​​will Ben Stokes recover to bowl? Do they hunt for another seamer to replace Carse or dig deep to find another spinner? A wicket-taking one? Just around 3 days to decide all this as the caravan heads back to London for the final stage. The fifth and final Test will be played on Thursday, 31st July, 2025, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (1000 GMT) at The Oval. Our buildup will begin much earlier, so do tune in early. In the meanwhile, you can catch all the action from the West Indies-Australia T20I series and New Zealand's Test tour of Zimbabwe. Enjoy. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

5:24 PM IST Coming to the match overall, England won the toss on an overcast morning but India called it a good toss to lose. They batted and battled the difficult conditions and through a series of starts, managed to put 358 on the board. Stokes bowled his heart out, taking a 5-wicket haul while Archer picked up 3. With the bat, England showed why they decided to bowl first because they replied with a mammoth 669. The top 3 got off to a rollicking start and Stokes stood up with the bat too, with a magnificent 141 while Root being Root, scored yet another 150. He broke so many records that almost every second ball was an event. That enabled the hosts to get a lead of 311, which should have been enough in a normal scenario but the curse of Manchester is riding heavily on Stokes. This is just the second draw in his Test career as a captain, both at Old Trafford and from the inception of Test cricket at this ground, no team has still won a Test match after electing to bowl! Guess some things are just not destined to change.