This was only the second Test draw for England under Ben Stokes' captaincy.
Former batter Kevin Pietersen has voiced his support for the England captain Ben Stokes after the hosts were denied a potential win in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Stokes was spotted struggling with cramps throughout England’s first innings and with a shoulder niggle during India’s second innings. The right-arm pacer bowled an eight-over spell to start Day 5, aiming to keep his frontline pacers fresh to use the new ball.
England’s bowling average in overs 31-80 in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 has been 88.06. That’s the worst old ball bowling average they have ever recorded in a series of four or more Tests. The most successful bowler for England has been Stokes, who is now leading the wickets tally with 17 scalps to his name.
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Pietersen took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) to back Stokes’ frustration in the last half hour. With nearly 30 minutes remaining to the end of the day’s play, England’s captain wanted to shake hands and draw the match. However, batters Jadeja and Sundar denied the request as they were approaching their respective centuries. While Jadeja and Stokes had verbal exchanges, England threw the ball to Harry Brook to avoid their frontline bowlers getting more tired. The Indian duo cashed in by reaching their hundreds, after which Stokes didn’t shake hands with the batters.
“2 days fielding and no result on the cards – you WANT to get off the field! You cannot have a pop at Ben Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him when you’re sitting in your lounge watching. You’re NOT in the battle. Leave the men in the ring to be emotional. And the Stokes issue should NOT distract from the batters who batted to save the Test Match! Outstanding effort and one which makes The Oval a very very important Test,” wrote the former England captain.
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The visitors conceded a massive 311-run lead and were two down in the second innings within the blink of an eye. But what followed was truly incredible. Indian captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul led India’s escape with a 188-run stand from 421 balls. Sundar, who was promoted to No. 5 after Rishabh Pant’s injury, stitched an undefeated 203 runs off 334 balls in partnership with Jadeja to drive England to despair. After both batters notched up their hundreds, India agreed to draw the match.
The Shubman Gill-led side scored 425/4 in the second innings, batting for five sessions despite losing two wickets in the first over. India batted 143 overs in the second innings, the longest by an Asian team in the third innings of a Test match in England. In what became only the second draw under Stoke’s leadership, India kept themselves alive in the series. Notably, England are leading the five-match series 2-1 with one more Test remaining.
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