Shubman Gill and KL Rahul survived a testing second session on day four in Manchester, holding off England’s bowlers in a wicketless stretch that gave India some breathing room after a chaotic start to their second innings.
India closed the session at 86 for 2. They still trail England by 225 runs, with Gill unbeaten on 52 and Rahul on 30.
Chris Woakes had struck twice in the very first over of India’s reply, triggering immediate pressure. Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught at slip for a duck after a sharp delivery angled in and then seamed away. Two balls later, Sai Sudharsan misjudged a short and wide ball. He tried to leave it too late and was caught at second slip.
It could have been worse. Gill, on 46 at the time, survived a difficult chance at gully. Liam Dawson got his hand to the ball but couldn’t hold on. That dropped catch allowed Gill to continue a strong run of form. He went past 50 for the fourth time in the series and surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 655 runs in the 2016 England series. Gill now moves closer to Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record of 732 runs in a Test series as captain.
The middle session belonged to India. For the first time in a while, they found stability. England’s seamers kept probing. But Gill remained composed, Rahul compact. There were plays and misses, but they avoided risks.
Also Read: Ben Stokes Hits Century and Five-For as England Stuns India with Dominant Performance
Ben Stokes did not bowl in the 29 overs bowled so far. Perhaps a sign of fatigue. He’s fresh from a game-changing performance — taking five wickets in the first innings to put his team in control. A century — his first in 35 innings — in the second.
Stokes scored 141 and joined Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only Test allrounders with over 7000 runs and 200 wickets. He also became the fifth captain in Test history to record both a century and a five-wicket haul in a match.
England’s total of 669 is their fifth-highest ever in the format. They batted for 157.1 overs, wearing India down in the field. By the time England’s innings ended, there were 15 minutes before lunch. Enough time for Woakes to do damage.
That brief period pushed India into survival mode. Fatigue was a factor. Sudharsan’s misjudgment reflected that. But in the next session, Gill and Rahul found a way to push back.
India still faces a long road. The deficit remains steep. But for now, the innings has a pulse. They’ve stopped the early slide.
Where it goes next will depend on whether this calm holds into the evening.
