Jaiswal makes history with half-century in Manchester Test as Indian opener

India’s young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, after a double failure in the Lord’s Test in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, is back at his best in the fourth Test at Manchester as he adds yet another unique record to his name. On Day 1 of the Test, Jaiswal scored his 12th Test fifty but, more importantly, became the first Indian batter to score a half-century in Tests at Old Trafford, Manchester, after 51 years. Before him, the last Indian batter to score 50 or more in Manchester was Sunil Gavaskar back in 1974. 

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  Jaiswal had the chance to become only the fourth batter to score a hundred in Tests in Manchester but lost his wicket to Liam Dawson on 58, bringing the curtains down on an incredible innings, but not before completeing 1000 Test runs against England in just 16 innings. 

Highest score by an Indian opener in Tests in England

 

Player	Runs	4s	6s	SR	Inns	Start Date
VM Merchant	114	13	0	-	3	25 Jul 1936
S Mushtaq Ali	112	17	0	-	3	25 Jul 1936
SM Gavaskar	101	8	0	40.23	2	6 Jun 1974
VM Merchant	78	9	0	-	2	20 Jul 1946
SM Gavaskar	58	5	0	41.42	4	6 Jun 1974
YBK Jaiswal	58	10	1	54.21	1	23 Jul 2025
SM Gavaskar	57	5	0	44.18	2	5 Aug 1971
NJ Contractor	56	-	0	-	4	23 Jul 1959

 

England flipped the switch in second session

India were 198 for 4 a few overs into the second session on Day 1, after a disciplined England fightback halted what looked like a promising start from the visitors. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul had laid a solid foundation post-lunch, but both openers departed in quick succession to hand the momentum back to England. Rahul fell first, caught in the slips off Chris Woakes just shy of his half-century, ending a vital stand that had threatened to take the game away. Jaiswal, who showed great composure against a moving ball and reached his fifty in 96 deliveries, soon followed as Liam Dawson struck with a sharp delivery that caught the edge and was taken in the slips—his first Test wicket in eight years.

 

Sai Sudharsan, promoted to No. 3 in a reshuffled order, looked composed but had a stroke of luck when Ben Stokes was denied a wicket after Smith dropped a straightforward catch. Skipper Shubman Gill, meanwhile, couldn’t capitalise, falling LBW to Stokes just before tea for a low score. The surface in Manchester continued to aid the seamers with the occasional nip and bounce, making strokeplay difficult. At tea, Rishabh Pant and Sudharsan were holding the innings together, with India at 149/3.