- By Namrata Vijay
- Wed, 23 Jul 2025 08:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs ENG 4th Test: India's star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal achieved another milestone on Wednesday when they faced England for the Test of the ongoing series in Manchester. He scored his 12th half-century of the longest format. He had become the first Indian opener to have smashed a fifty at this venue after 1974.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was the lone Indian opener to have smashed a fifty at Old Trafford. He had scored 101 runs off 251 balls and helped the Men in Blue post 246 runs during the first innings while chasing a target of 328 runs. Gavaskar maintained his sublime form during the second innings as well, as he scored 58 runs off 140 balls, but his efforts went in vain as they lost the match by 113 runs.
Cut to 2025, the Shubman Gill-led side is facing England for a Test match at Old Trafford after 10 years. Jaiswal, who built a 94-run partnership with KL Rahul for the first wicket, brought up his half-century during the second session and thus scripted history.
It should be noted here that the Men in Blue had played just two Test matches at this venue in recent years. In 1990, Tendulkar smashed his first Test hundred at Old Trafford during the second innings. Then Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin scored 179 runs during the first innings, but his efforts went in vain as the match ended in a tie. After that, none of the Indian batters had smashed a ton in Manchester.
Way back in 2014, the Men in Blue lost the Test match by an innings at this venue. MS Dhoni was the highest run-getter as he had scored 71 runs off 133 balls during the second innings. About six batters were dismissed without scoring a single run in the innings.
At the same time, Jaiswal's stay at the crease was ended during the second session as Liam Dawson took a wicket in this format after eight years. Jaiswal got out during the 41st over as Harry Brook, who was standing at the first slip, took Jaiswal's catch. He had smashed 10 fours and one six in his knock.
