Which is why, building on the previous paragraph, we should always look ahead, as there is no point in looking back. Unless something miraculous happens, given England's position, it has nearly taken two results out of the game - a tie and an Indian win. But there will be brownie points for psychological advantage. The series has not ended. Neither has the match. If India can come out and bundle the hosts quickly, inside the first 30-45 minutes on Day 4, they can keep England's lead to around 200-210 and try and bat long and hard into the third innings, to carry that form into the 5th Test. Also, Jonathan Trott on air informs us that the forecast is for cloudy weather on Saturday and a major part of Sunday is predicted to be rainy. So, if India can take this game into Day 5, we could have the same result as the 4th Ashes Test in 2023. So, all is not gloomy right now. What about England? How long do they think they need to bat? Will they keep Sunday's weather forecast in mind? An overnight declaration perhaps? All these questions will be answered come Saturday, 26th July, 2025, when Day 4 commences. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (1000 GMT), weather and light permitting, but our buildup will begin well in advance. Do tune in early then. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Tough day for India. For the first time in nearly a decade, they have conceded a total in excess of 500 away from home. Their bowling attack has been that good over the years. But here, on a track which just looks flat barring inconsistent bounce, their bowlers were put to the sword. Amongst 4 seamers, only Jasprit Bumrah had an economy of under 4. That speaks volumes of his greatness and it is in such times of adversity that everything gets questioned. Could India have selected Prasidh Krishna for this match? Or, with the track supporting spin, could an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav have served better than Shardul Thakur? Additionally, why was Washington Sundar not given the ball till the 69th over? And when he and Ravindra Jadeja were bowling in good rhythm, troubling Stokes, why were they taken off the attack just because the second new ball was due? These are questions which the young captain Shubman Gill will have to answer but there are plenty of learnings as well. Such questions pop up only when the team is in trouble.

One hour post the Tea break, things started to happen. For both sides. It started with India, with Bumrah slipping on the stairs while coming out from the dressing room and hurting his ankle and then, Mohammed Siraj getting tired and suffering from cramps as well. It spread to the opposition as Ben Stokes suffered from a stroke of cramps and walked off the field, retired hurt. That led to a flurry of wickets, as England slipped from 491/4 to 528/7, with Root suffering from cramps as well. However, just as the tourists seeked to end the day on a high, Stokes came back again and thwarted them.

The day began with India needing quick wickets to come back into the match but Ollie Pope and Root just denied that. A wicketless morning session ensued and the hosts just kept getting stronger and stronger. Arguably, they got the better of the batting conditions as the sun has been out in full glory throughout this innings. Pope fell for 71 after Lunch, having added a magnificent 144 for the third wicket with Root. This was just when the second new ball was about to be due and all of a sudden, Harry Brook got dismissed as well. India sensed an opportunity but the second new ball did not yield results and Root got into another partnership, this time with Stokes, which yielded 142.

Terrific day for England. Probably, their first since the final day of the first Test in this series, where they have bossed an entire day. The prediction was that if the hosts batted the day out, they will get close to 500 and that's exactly what has happened. In fact, they have reached close to 550. 319 runs came in the day, in 89 overs, for 5 wickets. The wickets fell in clusters, with the first two falling immediately after Lunch and the last 3 falling in the last hour of play. But for a major portion of the day, Joe Root dictated terms, scoring just his second century at this ground in Tests, also his second 150 at this venue as well, holding one end firm. On the way, he went past a few other records, with the most notable among them being jumping to second in the all-time list of run getters in Test cricket.

The scorecard does not paint the true picture. You look and say, yes, 491/4 became 528/7, but what's the big deal? Isn't the lead significant enough? And how much did Stokes add with Dawson on return? Just 11 in a stand of 16, right? Statistically speaking, all the numbers are correct. But, when Chris Woakes was dismissed, there were still around 6 overs left for the day and if Stokes was not going to bat, India needed just 2 more wickets to wrap the innings up. Also, the visitors had gained some momentum after Stokes went off retired hurt, as they conceded only 37 runs in 13.1 overs and picked up 3 quick wickets. For the second time in the day, they had gained some momentum and were on track to end the day on a high, but Mr. Midas stood in their way.

The Old Trafford crowd stands up as one to applaud its Midas. Of course, the day has belonged to Joe Root but Ben Stokes has played a significant part in it. It would have been logical and understandable for him to take the rest of the day off and come back afresh on Day 4, but seeing his side in trouble and sensing that India were on track to bowl England out on Day 3 itself, back he came, hobbling across and like a true champion, saw off the Indians. Take a bow, skip.

The last ball of the day coming up... another man goes over in the deep. In fact, deep backward square leg comes in.

Last over from Bumrah for the day. If he picks up a wicket here, it might well be Stumps as well. In fact, Bumrah is not keen to bowl and Mohammed Siraj has been given the ball! 25-4-108-1 so far.

The clock has struck past 6.20 pm local (10.50 pm IST, 1720 GMT). This means that even if England get bowled out tonight, India will not have to bat before Stumps. By the way, Shubman Gill is back on the field.