Gill and Rahul steady India after early wobble
Chris Woakes took two wickets in two balls in the first over to leave India reeling on 0-2 before lunch, after captain Ben Stokes' first century in two years fired England to 669, their fifth highest total in test history.
With 15 minutes to navigate before lunch, India crumbled under the pressure, with Yashasvi Jaiswal caught in the slips by England first-innings centurion Joe Root and Sai Sudharsan following him back next ball.
Gill and Rahul survived to return for the afternoon session and steadied the ship, despite England continuing to create chances.
Stokes, who took five wickets in the first innings, did not bowl having retired hurt with cramp on Friday when batting.
Gill looked in especially good touch in difficult circumstances, moving to his eighth test fifty just before tea.
At the time of going to print, Gill was 77 and Rahul 86 not out with total at 172.
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes ended his more than two-year wait for a Test hundred .
Stokes' dominant 141 powered England to 669 all out — their fifth-highest total of all time — on the fourth day of the fourth Test.
The hosts' leading bowler this series, Stokes is just the fourth England player to take five wickets and score a hundred in the same Test after Tony Greig, Ian Botham — who did it five times — and the currently sidelined Gus Atkinson.
England resumed in command at 544-7 after Root had become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history during his majestic 150 on Friday.
Stokes, 77 not out overnight after briefly leaving the field with cramp Friday after his first fifty of the series, delighted the crowd Saturday with some thrilling strokeplay.
The left-handed batsman twice cover-drove Mohammed Siraj for superb fours as he went to 88.
Stokes charged down the pitch to drive Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, for three to go to 99.
Bumrah beat Stokes on the outside edge before a leg-glanced four off paceman Bumrah -- his ninth boundary in 164 balls faced — saw the England skipper to a century.
It was all-rounder Stokes' first Test hundred in more than two years following a whirlwind 155 against Australia at Lord's in June 2023.
The 34-year-old celebrated his 14th century in 115 Tests by clenching his fist, looking to the sky and making a crooked finger gesture in honour of his late father Ged Stokes before raising his bat to a cheering crowd.
With the shackles off, Stokes then straight drove Washington Sundar for six and next ball he reverse swept the off-spinner for four.
Stokes then launched Ravindra Jadeja for six but, trying to repeat the stroke, next ball he holed out off the left-arm spinner with England exactly 300 runs ahead at 658-9.
Carse added a useful 47 before he was last man out, also caught in the deep off Jadeja. The all-rounder was one of several India bowlers to concede more than 100 runs, albeit Jadeja's return of 4-143 in 37.1 overs was relatively economical. — AFP
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Times of Oman
8 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Stokes' absence, changes in Indian bowling, Gambhir-Fortis controversy: A classic series decider in the making at London
London: The final Test between England and India at The Oval will kickstart from Thursday, with Shubman Gill-led Team India aiming for a series draw, which will no doubt make the team walk out of the UK with their heads held really high. Following a dramatic draw at Old Trafford, which witnessed centuries from skipper Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, Team India will have a psychological advantage over England, whose bowlers were bowled right into the ground as Jadeja-Sundar gleefully chased their well-deserved centuries after sealing a draw. Team India has a disappointing record at The Oval, winning two, losing six and drawing seven. One of the key plot lines heading into the match is the absence of English skipper Ben Stokes, who is out due to a right shoulder muscle injury. Ollie Pope will be captaining England in place of Stokes, having won three and lost one during his brief stint wearing the armband in the absence of Stokes last year. The Three Lions will no doubt miss their miracle man, the man who would take the initiative first and would make things happen when expected the least. Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser, Stokes said about his injury, "I am obviously disappointed, I have got a decent tear in one of the muscles I can't pronounce. We took as long as we could to make the decision around that. Obviously, there is a bit of emotion that goes into this stuff when you find out what you have done. I came down here this morning to give myself every chance to play just as a batter," Stokes told the media as quoted from Sky Sports. But even with an Ashes series away from home coming in November, Stokes is in no mood to slow down as he prepares for the Aussie challenge, highlighting how much the England badge and winning mean to him. "When I am out on the field, I play to win. I give absolutely everything that I possibly can. If I feel like there's a moment in the game where I need to put everything that I'm feeling aside, I'll do that, because that is how much this team means to me, it is how much playing for England means to me, it is how much winning means to me," he added. With spinner Liam Dawson out, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse omitted, the team will have a solid spin option in all-rounder Jacob Bethell, batting at number six and potent pace options in a returning Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue. "That is the benefit of having a very strong squad. We have some good cricketers to choose from when we find ourselves in a situation like this. So, let us put full concentration on the 11 we have out there this week. We are very confident we have the ability to win this game and the series," said Stokes, expressing confidence in the playing eleven. On Bethell, who garnered a lot of hype with his strokeplay and three half-centuries against New Zealand away from last year as a number three batter, Stokes said, "I think being the type of player that he is, where he plays all three formats, probably allows him to be a bit more versatile with where he bats in the order. He will slide in at six, and I am very confident in his ability. He is a quality player, I think we all know that. We were not going to change the batting order at all, so it is quite easy for him to slot in at six." On the other hand, India is awaiting an update on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the final Test, which would mark his fourth outing in the series. During the Manchester Test, he produced his most expensive Test figures of 2/112 and had struggles with his fitness too. Speaking about Bumrah's availability ahead of the game in a presser, Gill said, "We are going to take a decision tomorrow. The wicket looks pretty green, so we will see how it turns out. So far in the series, Bumrah has been the second-highest wicket-taker and India's top bowler with 14 scalps at an average of over 26, with two five-wicket hauls to his name." Gill also said that the call on Arshdeep, who is already India's top T20I wicket-taker, will be taken later in the evening. "He is definitely being asked to get ready. As I mentioned, we'll make a decision later this evening. I will go and have a look at the wicket. I have not had a chance to look at the wicket. See how the weather is going to be in the next five days and then make a decision," he added. Arshdeep has experience playing in England, considering his past exploits in the County Championship. After a 17-wicket campaign in the IPL 2023, he signed for Kent and scalped 13 wickets from five matches. In 21 first-class games, Arshdeep has taken 66 wickets at an average of 30.37, with best figures of 6/40 and two fifers in 37 innings. Gill said that the series has been a "great learning curve" for him as a captain, and the scoreline is not a true reflection of how well India has played. "I think every match that we have played, it was very difficult to decide which team was going to win after four days of cricket. If we are able to do that for every match, for four matches, coming outside of India with a relatively young team, I think it is going to be a big achievement for us if we are able to level the series," he said. Tensions remain high following an argument between Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and pitch curator Lee Fortis over practice facilities, with the curator allegedly preventing them from inspecting the pitch from closed quarters. Speaking on the matter, Gill said, "I do not know what exactly happened yesterday and why the pitch curator did what he did. We have played four matches, and no one has tried to stop us. Everyone has played so much cricket, and the coaches and the captain have gone and seen the wicket so many times. I don't know what the fuss was all about." He further explained that it's common for captains and coaches to inspect the pitch from close quarters, a normal part of preparation, as long as the person is either barefoot or wearing rubber spikes. "If a pitch curator is going to come and ask us to not look at the wicket and look at the wicket from three metres from behind, that is not something that has happened to us before. We have been playing cricket for such a long time, and as long as you are under rubber spikes or you are barefoot, you are allowed to look at the wicket from close quarters, and that is the job of the coach and the captain. So I do not know why the curator did not let us or did not allow us to do that. It is not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket," he added. Will this controversy and resultant tension get reflected in the team's play and give Team India the victory they have been looking for? Only time will tell. England's Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
England captain Stokes out of India series decider
LONDON: England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and deciding Test against India with a shoulder injury in a devastating blow for the home side. The England and Wales Cricket Board said vice-captain Ollie Pope would lead the team in the match at the Oval starting on Thursday, with England 2-1 up in the series. All-rounder Stokes has struggled with various fitness issues in the four Tests against India so far, during which he has sent down 140 overs — the most he has bowled in any series. The 34-year-old, who is the leading wicket-taker on either side with 17 scalps, has injured his right shoulder, his bowling arm, and it is understood he could need up to 10 weeks to recover. "I am obviously disappointed to not be able to finish the series," an emotional Stokes told reporters on Wednesday. He added: "I have got a decent tear of one of the (shoulder) muscles I can't pronounce. "A bit of emotion goes into this kind of stuff when you find out what you have done — bowling was ruled out as soon as we got the scan results." The drawn fourth match of the series at Old Trafford, which ended on Sunday, was a personal triumph for Stokes, who became just the fourth England cricketer to score a hundred and take five wickets in the same Test. But that came at a cost as the talismanic all-rounder, whose career has been blighted by hamstring trouble, struggled with a number of fitness issues. The tourists lost just four wickets in their second innings as they batted out a marathon 143 overs to keep the series alive. GIVE EVERYTHING Stokes, asked if he could have done any more to manage his workload, replied: "No, not at all. When I'm out on the field I play to win and give everything I possibly can. "If I feel there's a moment in a game where I need to put everything I'm feeling aside I'll do that because it's how much this team means to me, how much playing for England means to me, how much winning means to me. "There's absolutely nothing I could have done before. Being a professional sportsman, injuries are part of this game and I can't do anything about that." Players on both sides looked exhausted after the fourth Test during a series in which five matches have been squeezed into a period of less than seven weeks. Stokes suggested perhaps the gaps between games could be longer, adding: "It has been tough for both teams. It's been a lot of overs for bowlers." England do not play Test cricket again until they face Australia in the first match of the Ashes tour in late November, with Stokes considered central to their hopes of regaining the urn. He said his decision to miss the India finale in London had been based on a simple calculation. "It was more of 'What's the risk here?', he explained. "What's the worst possible thing that could happen with where this injury is at to where it could head to? Hearing where it could head to was not something that was worth taking a risk on." England have made four changes to their team at the Oval as they attempt to wrap up the series. Spin-bowling all-rounder Jacob Bethell makes his first Test appearance of 2025, effectively as a replacement for Stokes. Pacemen Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton all come into the side, with Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse rested. Liam Dawson has been dropped after just one match, with England opting to play without a specialist spinner, entrusting slow-bowling duties to Bethell and Joe Root. — AFP
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Australia sweep T20 series against West Indies
Australia completed a 5-0 sweep of the West Indies in their Twenty20 international series with Ben Dwarshuis's bowling paving the way for a three wicket victory in Basseterre, Saint Kitts on Monday. Mitchell Owen top scored for Australia with 37 off 17 balls, while Cameron Green (32), Tim David (30) and Aaron Hardie (28 nout out) all made valuable contributions as the visitors reached their target of 171 with 18 balls to spare. The win sealed the first T20 series sweep by an Australian men's team in the West Indies, and saw them end the tour with a perfect 8-0 record after a similar sweep in the three test series. "I didn't expect 5-0 at the start of the series," Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said. "But we played some great cricket. It was something we spoke about after the fourth game. "We knew no Australian team had completed a clean sweep. We've had guys come in and played different roles for us." The match featured 15 sixes, which Marsh attributed to the size of the venue. "I think it's a small ground, so there's always going to be more sixes than normal," he said. "But I think if you look down our batting order in all the five games, we had a lot of power and I guess the messaging was just to play their natural game." Marsh also lauded the performance of his relatively inexperienced bowlers in the death overs. "I'm pretty sure in the last four overs, we didn't go for more than 40 or 50 across the five games," he said. "It's really hard to do. So I think all of them executed. Nathan Ellis was outstanding, Sean Abbott was brilliant. Ben Dwarshuis hasn't played a lot, did a really good role, and even Xavier Bartlett has grown and grown as a bowler." West Indies fans must have feared the worst when Australia won a fifth straight toss and bowled the hosts out for 170, a total they reached thanks in large part to Shimron Hetmyer's knock of 52 off 31 balls. Dwarshuis picked up Hetmyer's wicket as well as those of openers Brandon King (11) and Shai Hope (9). "It was a little bit of a slower wicket so we tried to hit the wicket hard and use the slower balls as well," said Dwarshuis, who was named player of the match. Australia return home for a limited overs series against South Africa, while the West Indies play Pakistan in three T20Is and three one day internationals. — Reuters
