 "Indian batters hailed for 'fabulous display of resilience and character' after holding England to draw in Manchester")
The Indian batters produced a fightback for the ages on the last two days of the fourth Test against England in Manchester and keep the five-match series alive heading into the series finale at The Oval starting Thursday.
England were staring at the prospect of clinching the series a game to spare after posting a mammoth 669 thanks to Joe Root and Ben Stokes’ centuries and later reducing India to 0/2 with Chris Woakes getting rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the first over.
Captain Shubham Gill (103) and KL Rahul (90), however, had come to India’s rescue on Day 4 with an unbroken 174-run stand. And after both batters departed in quick succession in the morning session of Day 5 at Old Trafford , it was the turn of spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington Sundar (101 not out) to stand tall and defy the Englishmen.
Jadeja and Sundar shine bright on Day 5
Jadeja and Sundar not only steadied the hosts after India found themselves at a precarious 222/4 following Gill’s dismissal off Jofra Archer’s bowling, they ended up forging an unbroken 203-run partnership for the fifth wicket that had England captain Ben Stokes himself walking up and offering a draw at the start of the final hour of the final day.
And Stokes and his teammates weren’t too pleased when the two Indian all-rounders turned down their offer , only to shake hands shortly after, just so they could bring up their centuries.
Not only was the Indian team felicitated on social media for their heroics with the bat towards the end of the Manchester Test, there were also those criticising the hosts for the way they acted in the final minutes of what turned out to be another riveting contest between these two teams.
Here are select reactions:
When it comes to India-England, Old Trafford is known for keeping the series alive.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 27, 2025
Congratulations, Team India, on a fantastic comeback. @klrahul, @ShubmanGill, @imjadeja, and @Sundarwashi5, showed great character and fighting spirit.
Good luck for the final Test. Go India!… pic.twitter.com/TLVuhqK86U
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe 𝐌𝐞𝐧 of the moment 💙#ENGvIND #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/CUqkiP6qQi
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) July 27, 2025
After having done all the hardwork both Sundar and Jadeja deserved to get their centuries. Why are the English upset? #ENGvIND
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) July 27, 2025
What an absolutely amazing effort this from team India
— DK (@DineshKarthik) July 27, 2025
Not easy to draw a test from the position that they were in
Hats off 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽@ShubmanGill @klrahul @imjadeja @Sundarwashi5 #INDvsENG#CricketTwitter
Fabulous display of resilience and character by KL, Shubman, Jaddu and Washi to secure a draw in Manchester. It’s indeed a significant achievement considering the challenging situation India faced. Good luck for the last game Team India. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/p5pH8Na4ib
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 27, 2025
England can cry all they want scoreboard speaks louder than words 3 hundreds all very well deserved 👌🏽🙌🏼 #ENGvIND
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) July 27, 2025
Being in the field for 157 overs, 0/2, series on the line, incredible amount of skill, determination and character required to do what these champions have done. So much respect for fighting out a draw that feels no short of a win 👏🏻👏🏻 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/shmm4Gnnft
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 27, 2025
Gotta say, I’ve lost a lot of respect for @Harry_Brook_88 & @benstokes38 for the way they’ve carried on, begrudging tons for 2 blokes who batted their hearts out. Absolute pork chops. The spirit of cricket & sportsmanship is only relevant when it suits them, apparently. #ENGvIND
— Al Dente (@The_8thWonder_) July 27, 2025
The two teams return to London where the fifth Test between England and India gets underway after a short turnaround. India will be eyeing a second consecutive 2-2 draw on English soil, although this time they will be the ones drawing level should they end up on the winning side at The Oval.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
