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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 54571, member: 636"] England established a strong foundation against India during day two at Old Trafford despite falling short of complete dominance. The hosts reached 225 for two wickets by stumps while chasing India's first innings total of 358 runs. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett constructed a valuable opening partnership worth 166 runs before both batsmen departed within striking distance of centuries. Crawley managed 84 runs across 113 deliveries before Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him, while Duckett accumulated 94 runs until Anshul Kamboj claimed his maiden Test wicket. Captain Ben Stokes delivered his finest bowling performance since 2017 by capturing five wickets for 72 runs. Rishabh Pant battled through injury to score 54 runs for India after retiring hurt on the opening day. England maintains a 2-1 series advantage and requires victory in Manchester to secure the contest before the final Test at The Oval. [/QUOTE]