3 talking points from Day 2 of the 4th ENG vs IND 2025 Test ft. Jasprit Bumrah's opening spell

If Day 1 was a close contest between India and England, Day 2 transpired in an entirely one-sided manner. The hosts were ruthless against an insipid Indian display as they secured a commanding advantage in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester.

England are comfortably placed at 225/2 heading into the third day, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley falling narrowly short of counter-attacking centuries. They are just 133 runs away from the Indian first-innings total, and if the sun makes an appearance on Friday, they could exploit better batting conditions to effectively put the game to bed.

On that note, here are three talking points from Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England.

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#3 Ben Stokes bowls his heart out, as he generally does

England v India - 4th Rothesay Test Match: Day Two - Source: Getty

England's pacers haven't exactly covered themselves in glory this series, but Ben Stokes has been a particular standout. The skipper has taken it upon himself to act like a specialist bowler, sending down high amounts of overs in tricky situations.

On Days 1 and 2, Stokes bowled himself to an important five-fer. He bounced out Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar with some well-directed short balls. He also pitched it up and got it to swing, sending back Shardul Thakur, Anshul Kamboj and Shubman Gill in that manner.

Stokes bowled 24 overs, with only Jofra Archer (26.1) having a bigger role to play. The all-rounder used every bit of his varied skillset (swing, seam, bouncers, angles) to get the job done on Day 2.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah and Co. squander new-ball advantage

England v India - 4th Rothesay Test Match: Day Two - Source: Getty

There was a bit of movement on offer both in the air and off the pitch, but India's fast bowlers got their lines and lengths all wrong on Day 2. They dished out far too many freebies to both Duckett and Crawley, who were more than happy to motor along at nearly a run a ball.

Even Jasprit Bumrah, who's usually completely reliable, lost his lines a few times. Outside the first innings of the first Test, the ace spearhead hasn't been penetrative in his first and second spells, going wicketless in nearly 50 overs and conceding runs at almost three an over.

Anshul Kamboj, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj didn't have pretty economy rates either, and it wasn't a case of the conditions becoming completely flat.

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#1 Rishabh Pant fights hard, once again

England v India - 4th Rothesay Test Match: Day One - Source: Getty

Rishabh Pant returned to the crease on 37 and ensured that he didn't go down without a fight. Barely able to walk, the southpaw gritted it out and hammered a few boundaries before being castled by Archer.

Pant has proven to be a fighter on countless occasions in his career, and yet another iteration of his willpower came to the fore in Manchester. It'll be tough for India to secure an innings lead, but things could've been even worse had the left-hander not spent some time at the crease alongside Washington Sundar.