India vs England 4th Test Day 3 Live Score: England 322/2 At Lunch As Half-Centurions Ollie Pope, Joe Root Leave India Frustrated – Times Now

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India vs England 4th Test 2025, LIVE SCORE: England are just 26 runs away from India’s total as the visitors went wicketless in the first session as Ollie Pope and Joe Root scored half-centuries.
Updated Jul 25, 2025, 18:00 IST
India vs England 4th Test Live Score Day 3 (Photo: AP/TimesNow)
Bazball post Lunch? Somehow, get the feeling that England are not going to play traditional cricket for long. They have gone back to the tried and tested methods of playing conservative yet positive cricket in this series, except for the start of this innings. Root and Pope are amidst a fabulous partnership but with the pitch dying down ever so quickly, you can’t help but feel that there is that one ball which has got the batter’s name on it. Hence, one can never rule out a collapse. Hence, maybe, if the batters try to attack the bowlers, the latter might just lose their lines and lengths and a lead of anything more than 60 could be significant on this deck. Just a reminder, we are yet to see a centurion in this match.
If any, one might just question Gill’s line of thought. It is very understandable that India need wickets and hence, the focus is primarily on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. It is also agreeable that Anshul Kamboj comes in on the back of a heroic 10-wicket haul in a Ranji innings and hence, has been given more overs as the X factor. But in 74 overs, Shardul Thakur has bowled just 6 overs while Washington Sundar was overlooked largely till the 69th over. It is not like India are bowling badly but if the resources are managed slightly better, the main quicks can get more rest. And it is not as if Shardul and Sundar are your part-time options either.
Shubman Gill tried everything he could but with little success, while Jasprit Bumrah maintained tight lines without posing significant threats. India’s fielding was a touch sloppy in this session, and they can’t afford to let chances slip as the longer this partnership continues, the greater the risk of England building a massive lead and potentially batting just once in this Test. The spinners too struggled to make an impact, but with the second new ball due in six overs, the tourists will hope to strike early in the next session and swing the momentum back. The post-Lunch session is scheduled to begin at 6.10 pm IST (1240 GMT).
Ollie Pope and Joe Root were outstanding, batting with intent and punishing anything loose. Both brought up well-crafted fifties and extended their stand to 135 runs to firmly put England in command. Although they had a few nervy moments with some half-chances, a run out looked the most probable way of breaking the partnership as they kept the fielders busy with sharp running. Root, meanwhile, achieved a couple of major milestones in this session, becoming the first batter to score over 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford and moving up to third on the all-time Test run-scorers’ list.
SESSION SUMMARY – 107 runs and 0 wickets in 28 overs! England stamped their authority in the opening session, cruising through without losing a wicket and narrowing the deficit significantly. While India showed some improvement with the ball compared to Day 2, the batting-friendly conditions offered little assistance, making it hard for them to create pressure. As a result, the visitors now find themselves leading by just 26 runs and struggling to get back into the contest.
73.6: Ravindra Jadeja to Ollie Pope, The arm ball, around off, 98 kph, solidly defended. LUNCH ON DAY 3, ENGLAND 332/2, TRAIL BY 26!
73.5: Ravindra Jadeja to Ollie Pope, Mixup, safe! Misfield, no damage! Well, why does Pope seem so fidgety towards the close of a session? Last evening, he was desperate to get off strike in the final over of the day. Now, he is desperate to get off strike in the final over before Lunch. And against whom? A bloke who has already given his car keys to the valet and gotten into the lift for supper. Full, outside off, Pope pushes it towards mid off and charges down for the single. Root is in no mood to even think about it and Pope has to apply the sudden brakes. The fielder charges onto the ball but at the same time, sees Jadeja also charge onto the ball from the corner of his right eye. Jadeja stops but the damage is done. The fielder is distracted and takes his eyes off the ball and it goes past. The crowd starts to cheer but Pope is on his way back, so cannot think about the single. And as already mentioned, Root is already looking at the clock.
73.4: Ravindra Jadeja to Ollie Pope, Full, outside leg, padded away.
73.3: Ravindra Jadeja to Joe Root, Now then. Jadeja is targetting the rough outside the right-hander’s leg stump and both the batters are employing the reverse. This one lands just on the rough but Root reverses his shot the moment the ball lands and gets it through point. The timing is not good enough, so the ball stops. Three runs taken.
73.2: Ravindra Jadeja to Ollie Pope, Pitched outside leg, from over the wicket, Ollie Pope brings out the broom and reverse paddles the ball through backward point for a run. The deficit is now 29. Pope moves to 70.
73.1: Ravindra Jadeja to Joe Root, Full, on middle, worked behind square leg for a single. Moves to 60.
Interesting analysis from Dinesh Karthik on air. The former Indian stumper reckons that it feels almost as if Sundar believes that he can get Ollie Pope out any time. Hence, the field has been set such as to either keep him on strike or Root off strike. That explains Sundar’s frustration on 72.2.
72.6: Washington Sundar to Ollie Pope, Ahh… there is that drift again. Thrown up outside off, swings away due to the drift, Ollie Pope leans and punch-drives it through point, for a couple. The stand moves to 130.
72.5: Washington Sundar to Ollie Pope, Quicker, outside off, OP leans and drives it back to the bowler.
72.4: Washington Sundar to Ollie Pope, Full, outside off, Ollie lunges and drives it towards mid off.
72.3: Washington Sundar to Joe Root, Outside off, Joe Root wrists it through mid-wicket for a run, to bring up the 100TH RUN of the session.
72.2: Washington Sundar to Ollie Pope, Tossed up, outside off, 91 kph, Pope lunges and pushes it towards point for a single. Sundar seems frustrated, gesturing something to the keeper. Maybe, he is frustrated with the strike turning over or maybe, the field being set.
72.1: Washington Sundar to Ollie Pope, Full, around off, Ollie Pope lunges to defend it to the off side.
71.6: Ravindra Jadeja to Joe Root, Outside off, pushed towards point. Root wants the single but is sent back.
71.5: Ravindra Jadeja to Joe Root, Flighted, around off, pushed away.
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