Lunch England 332 for 2 (Pope 70*, Root 63*) trail India 358 by 26 runs
Joe Root rose to third on Test cricket's run-scoring charts on a day three morning in Manchester that he and Ollie Pope cut further into India's first innings with a flawless morning. Lunching just 26 behind, thoughts are turning to whether they can secure the series by batting just once in this fourth Test.
Upon moving to 31, Root snuck past Rahul Dravid (13,288) and Jacques Kallis (13,289), bumping the latter off the podium to join Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. Unbeaten on 63, the 57 more he needs to catch Ponting could come in the next session.
Root's ascension was the first of three ovations in the opening session, with Pope registering his 25th fifty-plus score, before Root brought up his 104th, from 99 deliveries. An unbeaten stand of 135 is their sixth century partnership under Ben Stokes' tenure, the most of any pairing.
They ran brilliantly throughout, toying with the outfield, with just one moment of real alarm when Root was on 22. Reeling from a Mohammed Siraj delivery that leapt off a length, Pope charged down while calling his partner through, forcing Root to head to the bowler's end.
Ravindra Jadeja's throw from point was off target, but both he and Siraj were furious neither mid-off nor mid-on had taken the initiative to come up to the stumps. The single brought up the fifty stand for the third wicket.
Pope might have also been dismissed, though his edge on 48 off Anshul Kamboj was as tough a chance as they come for sub-keeper Dhruv Jurel, standing up to the stumps to keep the batter in his crease.
It was emblemactic of India's session, who were better with their lengths compared to Thursday, but still lacked consistency. Siraj's unnecessary hurl for four overthrows summed up the irritation England have elicited in their opponents. The only crumb of comfort for the tourists is the availability of a second new ball in six overs.