England's Ben Duckett hits a boundary on day two of the fourth cricket test match between England and India at Old Trafford, in Manchester. Photo: AFP
A 166-run opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett led England's recovery on day two of the fourth test against India, the hosts 225-2 at the close of play trailing the tourists by 133 runs at Old Trafford in Manchester.
A gutsy half century from the injured Rishabh Pant helped India post 358 in their first innings, with England captain Ben Stokes' first five-wicket test haul in eight years helping see off the tourists' tail.
Crawley and Duckett moved at a rapid rate before tea to eat into India's total as England's reply got under way, but neither could convert their impressive starts into centuries, the pair falling for 84 and 94 respectively in the evening session.
Joe Root and Ollie Pope survived several close calls to see England through to the close, putting the hosts in with a chance of sealing victory in the five-match series with one test to spare.
-Reuters
