With the series slipping away, India face a trial by fire at Old Trafford. After conceding a massive first-innings lead to a dominant England side, the visitors must now summon every ounce of resilience to survive on a deteriorating Manchester pitch.
While Ricky Ponting has declared England “red-hot favourites,” he’s not writing off India just yet—especially given their familiarity with worn-out, turning tracks.
India find themselves in a challenging position, with England posting 544/7 by stumps on Day 3 and taking a commanding 186-run lead. With the surface showing significant wear and tear, the visitors will need to stage a strong comeback to avoid conceding the series.
While assessing the current situation, Ponting described England as "red-hot favourites" but expects India to fight back, given their experience of playing on deteriorating pitches.
"I thought England were red-hot favourites this morning if the first session went well, and the whole day has gone just about perfectly. But what I would say is that India are used to playing on wearing pitches with variable bounce and a bit of turn. I wouldn't rule out them being hard to dismiss in the second innings," Ponting said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Ollie Pope, who dazzled with a composed 71 (128) before falling to Washington Sundar’s off-spin, commented on the state of the pitch. Pope admitted he was surprised to see the ball turning as early as Day 3 in a Test match in England—a rare occurrence for spinners.
He acknowledged that the entire England unit is aware that chasing down India’s eventual target won’t be easy on a surface offering unpredictable turn and bounce. The key, Pope said, lies in striking early when India bat again.
"It is pretty clear there is some turn out there and a few balls are keeping low. It’s not what we expect on a Day 3 pitch in England. We’re well aware that when we come out to bat again, it’s going to be tough work—so hopefully we can make early inroads when we bowl," he said.
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