4th Test: Gill fifty takes India to 86/2 at tea
Manchester, Jul 26 (PTI) 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 on 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 K L 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 on 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.
With England collecting boundaries for fun, it also marked the first time since 2014 that India conceded 600 runs in an innings. PTI KHS
view comments
First Published:
July 26, 2025, 20:30 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Siraj pushes his limit to lead India's fightback
Mumbai: Even in a lengthy series, you can single out moments of inspiration that can prove defining. Mohammed Siraj's unrelenting spell of eight overs before tea on Day 2 at The Oval could prove to be one. The onus is on India as a collective to back up his brilliance. Mohammed Siraj celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Jacob Bethell. (PTI) It was immediately after India had lost the Lord's Test narrowly that Siraj doffed his hat to Ben Stokes for bowling tireless marathon spells. 'If you can learn from someone, there's no shame,' he said. No shame, indeed. Just like his English pace counterpart, the Hyderabad fast bowler strained every sinew and kept running in to keep India in the Test after their batters had folded up for 224 in the first innings. His spell could well prove the spark for an Indian win to level the series 2-all. Fast bowlers have to bowl long spells from time to time. But think of the strain the present-day pacer has to endure in a five-Test series, stuffed in between a great deal of white-ball cricket. After Chris Woakes' freak injury ruled him from further participation at The Oval, Siraj is the only one among the pace pack from either side to play in all the Tests and still in action – 154 overs and counting. When Siraj came on to bowl mid-day, England openers had already played a powerful hand before lunch in 16 overs of mayhem, scoring at over run-a-ball. India's total had begun to look insufficient. While the sun showed up now and then, the pitch still had plenty of juice. India's pacers had to hit their lengths and stay patient. Siraj was among the bowlers who had gone for plenty with the new ball. He needed an early spark and the bowler created it on his own by getting one to nip back in sharply to Ollie Pope (22), trapping him lbw. Siraj stayed patient, not just with his lengths but lines too. He needed to be against Joe Root. There are days when Siraj likes to have a chirp with the batter. Not on Friday. He left it to Prasidh Krishna. All Siraj wanted was to channel his energies on breaking through Root's defence. He had done it before in the series targeting the stumps and on the final ball of the fifth over of his spell, summoned another one of his scrambled seam deliveries that rammed into Root's pads. The lbw decision was reviewed by Root, but DRS confirmed it. England were now four wickets down, but India still had plenty to do. They didn't have a fourth seamer to exploit the green pitch and Shubman Gill had no choice but to stick with Siraj. As if asking Siraj to invoke the spirit of Ishant Sharma's nine-over spell in the Perth Test of 2008, Gill kept throwing the ball to him for one more over. Siraj bowled his 6th, the 7th and then the 8th. While he worked hard, Siraj was able to pin the talented newcomer Jacob Bethell down with a toe crusher following up on a series of wobble seam balls. This time England wouldn't review. It was obvious that the ball would have dismantled Bethell's stumps. Each of Siraj's three wickets were arrowing in on the stumps and went into the scoresheet as leg before dismissals. After starting the day with a spell of 4-0-31-0, Siraj's second spell read 8-1-35-3. He may have bowled more productive spells before, but few where he was the last fast bowler standing in a punishing series played on batter-friendly decks, barring this one. The Oval Test has offered just rewards to the pacers, to try and overcome the pain barrier, bend their backs and make it count. Siraj did with his four-wicket haul, adding Harry Brook in the end. Siraj has taken on the mantle of leading the pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. Even in Australia where Bumrah was phenomenal, it was Siraj who bowled the most number of overs. Here, with an innings to come, he is already the series' highest wicket taker. So good has Siraj been with his skills and pluck that he would have won an admirer even from the opposing side in Stokes, the injured England skipper watching from the dressing room.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- First Post
'I am pleasantly surprised': Ashwin stunned by team's bold move on Bumrah, shares insightful take
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed surprise over Jasprit Bumrah not featuring in the fifth Test in the series against England. read more Former India bowler Ravichandran Ashwin was left flummoxed to witness Jasprit Bumrah's absence in the , but ended up admitting that it was the right decision on the part of Bumrah. Paying heed to the topic through his YouTube channel, Ashwin stated that he expected the team to push the pacer to play the final Test, but noted that the management may have come to terms with the importance the player holds for Team India and because of that, it may have abstained from trying to persuade him. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To manage the workload and evade a potential injury, Jasprit Bumrah had conveyed his intention to play only three out of the five Tests in the series. As promised, the pacer only featured in three Tests -1st, 3rd, and 4th- of the series and finished his campaign with 14 wickets. 'I am pleasantly surprised because if this were the Indian team of the past, they would have persuaded Bumrah to play the final Test. Even now, the team management might have looked at it, but from Bumrah's perspective, this is a sound decision. He had already decided that he was going to play only three Tests, and he stuck to that,' Ashwin said on YouTube. Ashwin on management resting Bumrah in the fifth Test Ashwin highlighted that Bumrah's longstanding back issue was a factor in his absence from the fifth Test, and believes that resting him could benefit the Indian team in the long term. 'His back issue is not a normal one. It has kept him out of the game for almost two years. He is a valuable asset to the Indian team. So, the decision is the right one, and I am pleasantly surprised. I am very happy that Bumrah is prioritizing his body because in the long run, he will be very useful,' Ashwin added. Fifth Test hangs in balance After losing yet another toss, Shubman Gill and co were put to bat first. On a difficult surface to bat on at the Oval, India's innings crumbled like a sack of potatoes and ended up getting 224 on the board. In reply, England had a perfect start, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley once again giving the hosts a flying start. England were cruising at 129/1, but wickets began to fall in the second session of Day 2. The Indian bowlers carved their way back into the game and restricted England to 247. Trailing by 23 runs, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul gave India a steady start and eradicated the trail at a fine pace. England eventually drew first blood in the form of Rahul, who departed after making just 7 runs. Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan are currently in the middle as India have reached 55/1 after 13 overs, leading by 32 runs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India.com
27 minutes ago
- India.com
Mohammed Siraj is wearing white headband on Day 2 of 5th Test vs England due to...
Mohammed Siraj wearing white band at Oval on day 2. (PIC - X) New Delhi: Mohammed Siraj was spotted wearing a headband during Day 2 of the fifth Test against England at The Oval, in honour of the late Graham Thorpe. Thorpe was born on this day in 1969 and died on August 4 last year. He was a retired England great who played 100 Tests, making 6,744 runs at 44.66, and played 82 ODIs for 2,380 runs. How did the day start? Interestingly, the day began with all the players of the England team sporting a headband with Thorpe. Even the English commentators – Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton were sporting the same. The players of the England team also took a photo sporting the headband. But it was in the last session of the day that Mohammed Siraj sported the headband and completed the last wicket of England, getting Harry Brook out for 53 runs. How did bowlers perform without Jasprit Bumrah? Without Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna tore through and took four wickets apiece. The day began on a sour note for the team led by Shubman Gill as wickets fell at regular intervals, being bowled out for 224 runs. England openers Zak Crawley smashed a half-century, while Ben Duckett made 43 runs in retaliation. Having given a perfect start, the hosts were to get India into trouble, but that did not happen. What happened in the match? England also lost their wickets early, but Brook was the one who remained steady. He attempted to create a partnership with the middle, but there was hardly any support in the middle. However, he continued and because of his half-century, England had a lead of 23 runs. For India, Siraj and Prasidh indicated their intentions. They did not get off to the best of starts, but once they found their rhythm, the England batsmen found it hard to get going. In the meantime, with the four-wicket bag, Siraj has 18 wickets to his credit – the highest by any bowler in the series so far.
