ENG vs IND 2025, 4th Test Day 5 Review: Indian batters rise to the occasion, stay afloat in series by drawing Manchester Test

Published - 27 Jul 2025, 22:49 IST | Updated - 27 Jul 2025, 23:06 IST

Shubman Gill led the young Indian team from the front as they managed to bat for more than five sessions to draw the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, to keep the five-match series alive.

On Sunday, July 27, England got off to a fine start as the gritty Ben Stokes dismissed KL Rahul for 90 in the early goings of the first session. The Rahul-Gill partnership yielded 188 runs off 417 balls, most for an Indian partnership in Tests in England in the 21st century.

After Rahul's dismissal, Washington Sundar came out to the middle, promoted to No. 5. He added 34 runs with his captain. Gill slammed his fourth century on the tour before getting dismissed by Jofra Archer for a 238-ball 103.

The experienced Ravindra Jadeja joined forces with Sundar. The two all-rounders frustrated the England bowlers by playing orthodox cricket and not trying anything fancy. Stokes threw the kitchen sink at Jadeja and Sundar, but they were up for the fight. They wiped off the deficit and helped India take a lead. This crushed the hopes of the English players as they knew they had to bat again, and time was running out for them.

Both Jadeja and Sundar reached their half-centuries, and the finish line was near, but there was no sign of complacency. They played the English bowlers on their merit in a partnership that became an embodiment of resilience and perseverance.

Archer looked far from his best as he was guilty of straying down the leg-side too often. Stokes tried to flummox the batters with some unique field settings, but they were in no mood to flinch. The England captain asked his frontline spinner, Liam Dawson, to target the rough areas more consistently. However, the ploy didn't pay dividends.

In the end, as Sundar and Jadeja were nearing their centuries, Stokes felt that it was time to settle for a draw. He offered a handshake, but Jadeja refused, with historic personal landmarks in sight. While Stokes wasn't too pleased, the two left-handed batters marched on and went on to get their centuries.

WATCH: Jadeja-Sundar reject Stokes' handshake offer

Jadeja remained unbeaten on 107 off 185 deliveries. Meanwhile, Sundar scored his first international ton, finishing not out on 101 off 206 balls. India finished on 425/4 in 143 overs to keep the scoreline at 1-2 in favour of England, with one Test match still to play.