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Shubman Gill slammed 161 in the second innings, taking his match tally to 430 as India set England a massive 608-run target. England ended Day 4 at 72/3 chasing the total.
Gill’s hundred give India hope for a historic [AP Photo]
Shubman Gill’s relentless hunger for runs led to his second century of the game, as India set an imposing 608-run target for England’s Bazballers, who were facing a daunting task on day five of the second Test here.
Gill (161 off 162 balls) transformed into a virtual ‘Run Machine’, notching up his third century in four innings following his epic 269 in the first essay.
Other contributions in the second innings came from Ravindra Jadeja (69 not out), Rishabh Pant (65), and KL Rahul (55), as India declared their second innings at 427 for six.
The Indian pacers once again made the new ball talk, with Akash Deep dismissing the dangerous Ben Duckett and the dependable Joe Root, while Mohammed Siraj had Zak Crawley caught at backward point with a full outswinger, reducing the hosts to 72 for three in 16 overs at stumps on day four.
The timing of India’s declaration, one hour after tea, was questioned by experts and fans alike, with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara suggesting on air that India should have declared at least half an hour earlier.
England fans in the fabled Hollies stand chanted ‘boring boring’ when the declaration was not announced despite Gill’s dismissal. Booing soon followed.
Gill, who reached three figures at the stroke of tea, intensified his offensive against the spin duo of Shoaib Bashir and part-timer Joe Root, regularly employing the sweep to the deep square and mid-wicket fence.
His innings included 13 fours and eight sixes, taking his match tally of runs to 430, surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar’s record (344 against West Indies at Port of Spain in 1971) for the most runs by an Indian.
He also became the second Indian after Gavaskar to score a double century and a century in the same Test.
The wickets have been flat and produced a mountain of runs, but India has already amassed seven centuries on the tour, an unprecedented feat in an away series.
It will be interesting to see England’s approach, though their philosophy under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum is driven by results rather than draws. The only draw in the Bazball era, the Old Trafford game in Ashes 2023, was caused by rain.
Gill changed gears post the lunch break to boost the scoring rate before completing his second century of the game at the stroke of tea.
He reached the rare milestone with a single off Bashir in the penultimate over before the tea break.
Following his double century in the first innings, his hundred celebrations were restrained, indicating his focus on levelling the series.
Gill shared a 110-run stand with Rishabh Pant (65 off 58), who displayed breathtaking strokeplay and departed in fitting fashion, losing control of his bat in an attempt to hit Shoaib Bashir out of the park.
If Gill was attacked by English bowlers in the morning session, he took the responsibility to counter-attack in the second session.
Josh Tongue tried the short ball against Gill at the start of the session, and Gill was happy to pull it over fine leg on two occasions. His knock included a flat-batted boundary off Tongue, while the Indian captain showed total disdain when Bashir was in operation.
In the morning session, KL Rahul lost his middle stump to a beauty from Tongue before Pant made the session more entertaining with his unique strokeplay, leaving India at 177 for three at lunch.
The 13-over-old ball was expected to do a bit in cloudy conditions, and it did for the England pacers, especially Brydon Carse, who bowled his heart out in the session.
Rahul (55 off 84) played some majestic cover drives before being undone by a peach from Tongue that straightened from an angle to uproot the Indian batter’s middle stump.
Karun Nair (26 off 46) was the first wicket to fall on the day, a result of Carse’s relentless pressure. Soon after being driven for four, Carse continued to lure Nair into a drive and was rewarded with an outside edge to the wicket-keeper.
The tall bowler, who dismissed Nair with a snorter in the first innings, hit Nair’s grille with a nasty bouncer, prompting a concussion check.
Pant came out in the 30th over and went ballistic from the get-go. He smashed Josh Tongue for a four and a six over mid-off to declare his intentions before executing a falling pick-up shot off Ben Stokes that went all the way.
The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the battle between Pant and the England bowlers. Towards the end of the session, Pant attempted a wild slog off Tongue, but the bat slipped out of his hands. Jamie Smith did well to collect the ball behind the stumps.
(With PTI Inputs)
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
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