Yet another Day 5 of this Test series! And that brings along a bit of mystery as well. The forecast is not that great, with a wet morning predicted, intermittent showers through the day, and the conditions to remain overcast. Does that mean that the bowlers will get much more assistance, or does it mean that the result goes out of the equation? In 36 Tests as skipper, Stokes has won 22 matches and lost 13. The only match that has been drawn under his leadership was at this very venue, in the 2023 Ashes. Additionally, whenever a team has won the toss and elected to field in a Test match at Old Trafford, it has never won in 11 previous attempts! History and weather both point towards a draw. Will Midas Stokes be able to change the script and seal the series? Or will India continue their batting might and grind England for a psychological advantage ahead of the fifth Test? The first ball on Day 5, Sunday, 27th July, 2025, is scheduled to be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (1000 GMT), weather and light permitting, but our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early. Until then, you can catch all the action from the T20I series between West Indies and Australia. Enjoy. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

What is the mystery of this Old Trafford pitch? Puffs of dust are emanating, the ball is staying up and down, but still, the pitch is looking good for batting. That is because the inconsistency in bounce is not that consistent either. England started really well with the new ball and when the wickets weren't coming, they didn't lose control either. But with the pitch as flat as a pancake, the bowlers just could not exert much. Ben Stokes took a calculated risk of not bowling and the scorecard shows how badly England missed him in the bowling ranks.

At the other end, it was a monk. KL Rahul. As cool as a cucumber, unfazed by everything going around him and soaking up all the pressure. He registered his 4th 50-plus score of the series and while Gill was attacking the new ball, he was content in just seeing it off. He is unbeaten on 87 and faced 210 balls - that's 35 overs alone - showing his dodgyness. He got a couple of close calls, with the inside edge not going onto the stumps, but that is something which every batter hopes for, while playing a big knock.

Stokes and England's lower order piled on the agony on the Indian bowlers in the morning, as they added another 125 runs to their overnight score, with skipper Stokes going on to get his first Test ton in 2 years. And then, before you could blink, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan on successive deliveries and at that stage, it seemed like there won't be a Day 5. But along came skipper Gill and despite a hattrick of poor innings before this, he batted with grit and determination. Gill started off on a flurry, attacking the new ball and scoring quickly and slowly settled down into a rhythm. He got a life on 48, when Liam Dawson spilled a fairly simple chance and post that, the captain has been really watchful. He was on 48 (69) before that drop. It was a loose shot and it could have been catastrophic for India had that catch been taken. In the next 98 balls, he put his head down and scored just 30 runs, but did not repeat that mistake. Gill has now reached 697 runs in this series and is on the cusp of becoming only the third Indian to score 700 runs in a bilateral series and should he get the chance to bat deep, register the record of the most runs by an Indian in a bilateral Test series.

It was a totally different picture roughly 4 hours ago, when Lunch was taken. England batted and batted and outbatted India out of the Test, making 669 and gaining a lead of 311. With the pitch showing inconsistent bounce, questions started being asked as to why weren't the hosts declaring and we now know why. 12 sessions done in this Test and the pitch, barring for an odd misbehaviour here and there, is still looking great for batting. This is the first time that a pair has batted successfully through two back-to-back sessions in this series.

The day got started by England, but it has ended in India's favour. Back-to-back wicketless sessions mean that they have fought back remarkably well in this Test, earning the right of drawing the game on merit, rather than the weather. The crowd rises as one for KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, who got together with the score on 0, in the opening over and are still together as Stumps are drawn. Coach Gautam Gambhir is standing in the team balcony, admiring his players.

3 minutes left on the clock. Given the way England are bowling, we can have 2 overs before close. But pretty sure India will ensure that this is the last over of the day.