Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett And Zak Crawley Set New Record In Manchester As England Inch Closer To Series Victory Against India

IND vs ENG: England have given India a taste of what 'Bazball' actually stands for. Courtesy of their dominant batting display in Manchester, England are not only ahead of India in the 4th Test, but also in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. England are 2-1 up, and a win in the Manchester Test will seal the series for them. The conditions in Manchester were favourable for batting, and the England batters made best use of them in the fourth Test of the series.

England Shatter 77-Year-Old Test Record

In reply to India's score of 358 runs in the first innings, England opened their innings with openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adding 166 runs for the first wicket, but that was only the start to India's woes in the ongoing Manchester Test. Once the openers were dismissed, Ollie Pope and Joe Root continued the onslaught and kept India on the backfoot.

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Zak Crawley (84), Ben Duckett (94), Ollie Pope (71), and Joe Root (150) all scored 70+ runs in the first innings of the Manchester Test. Root, in particular, scripted history by scoring his 38th Test ton. This is the first time in 77 years that the top four batters of the English cricket team scored 70+ runs. England had won the toss and elected to bat in Manchester. The gamble paid off as their batters left the visitors clueless and begging for answers.

Ben Stokes Stands Tall in Manchester

Ben Stokes has led England from the front in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. In the Manchester Test match, Stokes claimed a fifer in the first innings and later followed it up with a valiant and stellar century off 164 balls after he came out to bat.

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The England captain also battled cramps and fitness issues, but he stayed steady on the wicket and guided England to a comfortable position in the Test match.