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Ravindra Jadeja continued to etch his name in Indian cricket folklore with a heroic unbeaten 107 at Old Trafford, Manchester, that not only helped India secure a hard-fought draw in the fourth Test but also saw him break several records along the way.
Jadeja became the first Indian to score two Test centuries in England while batting at No.6 or lower, a rare feat that highlights his evolution as a reliable middle-order batter in overseas conditions. With this latest hundred, Jadeja now has 454 runs in the series, surpassing MS Dhoni's tally of 349 runs in the 2014 England tour, making it the most prolific series in England by an Asian batter batting at No.6 or below. Jadeja, during the second session of the fifth and final day of the fourth Test, joined the likes of England's Wilfred Rhodes and West Indies' Garry Sobers to become the third cricketer to score 1000 runs and pick 30 wickets in an away country. The left-hand batter completed his 1000 runs in away Tests in England. Earlier in the second innings, Jadeja snapped four wickets in 37.1 overs of bowling, where he conceded 143 runs at an economy of 3.8. He took the wickets of Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Brydon Carse in his spell. With these four wickets, the left-arm spinner completed 30 wickets in away Test matches in England. Another highlight of Day 5 was the unbreakable partnership between Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Walking into a pressure situation with India still trailing, the duo showed remarkable grit and composure to put together an unbeaten 203-run stand for the fifth wicket, now the highest fifth-wicket partnership by an Indian pair in England. Sundar, playing with maturity, brought up his maiden Test hundred and remained unbeaten on 101, matching Jadeja's calmness and stroke-play throughout the session. Their partnership also marked India's 10th century stand in this series, making it the second-most in a single Test series for India, just behind the 11 century stands recorded against West Indies at home in 1978/79. This performance not only ensured the Test ended in a draw but also kept India's hopes alive going into the fifth and final Test at The Oval. England still lead the series 2-1. (ANI)
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