India and England Evenly Matched on Day 1 of Thrilling Test

The fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, July 23, saw the two teams evenly matched on the opening day. India, sent in to bat after losing the toss, reached 264-4 after 83 overs of hard-fought cricket.

India's openers got the team off to a solid start, adding 94 runs in 30 overs. However, the defiant stand was broken when Chris Woakes forced KL Rahul to nick one to the slip cordon. Yashasvi Jaiswal's fine knock of 58 also came to an end when he edged a good length ball from Liam Dawson to the first slip.

Skipper Shubman Gill registered his third failure in a row, offering no shot to a delivery from Ben Stokes that came back in and was caught in front of the stumps. Sai Sudharsan, however, steadied the innings with his maiden Test half-century of 61. Rishabh Pant was looking good again with 37 not out, but he retired hurt after inside-edging an attempted reverse sweep onto his right foot.

Despite predictions of rain, the day's play was not interrupted by weather, and the teams will resume their battle on Day 2 in Manchester.