Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first Indian opener in 51 years to register a half-century at Old Trafford in Manchester. The last to do so was Nari Contractor in 1959. Before him, Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Merchant, and Syed Mushtaq Ali had also achieved the feat at the iconic venue. Jaiswal’s opening partner KL Rahul was close to achieving the feat, but the Karnataka player departed after scoring 46 runs.
Meanwhile, in the fourth Test, Jaiswal also completed 1000 runs against England. Since his debut, the youngster has been phenomenal in the longest format and was India’s leading run-scorer in the 2023-25 edition of the World Test Championship. In the ongoing five-match Test series, he had a terrific start, scoring a century in the first match at Headingley and 87 at Edgbaston. He flopped at Lord’s, but returned to his best in Manchester.
Alongside Rahul, Jaiswal had a cracking start to the match. India didn’t lose any wickets before the first session, which was a massive positive, but soon after the break, Rahul departed. Since then, Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan took over the business and kept the scoreboard ticking. The opener eventually went on to complete his half-century, and upon reaching 55 runs, he became the 20th Indian cricketer, and only the fourth opener to score over 1000 runs in England.
Liam Dawson, who returned to the England Test team after eight years, got the better of Jaiswal in the fourth Test. The opener looked to defend, but it had some drift. Eventually, an outside edge led to his dismissal. Harry Brook picked up the catch, ending Jaiswal’s stay on the crease. He departed after scoring 58 runs.
