Manchester: Shubman Gill overcame initial jitters to score a gutsy fifty leading India’s show of resistance in a wicketless afternoon session on day four of the fourth Test against England here Saturday.
England pacers, especially Jofra Archer, bowled a few lethal inswingers into Gill’s pads but the Indian captain was able to survive those testing moments before playing sumptuous strokes.
Giving Gill (52 batting off 80 ) company was ever dependable KL Rahul (30 batting off 93), who has been the rock of India’s batting in this series.
Having lost their first two wickets for one run at lunch, India still face a herculean task to save the game. At tea, India were 86 for two, trailing England by 225 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Gill also had a slice of luck going his way when he was dropped by Liam Dawson off Brydon Carse at backward point on 46.
Gill played some stunning straight drives and cover drives on way to a gritty half-century. In the 17th over, he collected back to back boundaries off Archer, first was a crisp cover drive followed by an upper cut. He also hit consecutive boundaries off Carse including a regal on drive.
In the morning session, India made a disastrous start to their second innings after Ben Stokes struck a stroke-filled hundred following his five-wicket haul to help England take a massive 311-run lead.
With England posting a mammoth 669 in the morning session, India came out roughly 20 minutes before lunch.
It was hara-kiri in the middle as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan departed in successive balls in the first over of India’s innings. Jaiswal tried to flick a ball off Chris Woakes but was caught by Joe Root at first slip after a fumble. The very next ball Sudharsan was late in leaving the ball and ended up giving catching practice to Harry Brook at second slip.
Like it was the case in the second innings, England fast bowlers seem to get a lot more out of the pitch than the Indians in this brief passage of play.
Resuming the day at 544 for seven, England effectively batted India out of the game. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj looked in good rhythm and bowled with a lot more intensity than shown Friday but it was not enough to stop England from amassing the highest total at Old Trafford.
Bumrah ended with figures of 33-5-112-2, the first time he conceded 100 runs or more in what has been phenomenal Test career.
Stokes (141 off 198) began the day by stepping out to Siraj and dispatching him through the cover region before playing an expansive drive off the Indian workhorse.
He completed a rare double of 100 and a five wicket haul in the same with a tickle down the leg side off Siraj that went for four. The hundred, coming after two years, meant a lot to him.
When Stokes made room to whack Washington Sundar down the ground for six, he became only the third cricketer to complete 7000 runs and 200 wickets after Jacques Kallis and Gary Sobers.
PTI
