Gill, Rahul Steady India After Top-Order Collapse Against England

Shubman Gill and KL Rahul forged a solid partnership, providing much-needed stability to the Indian innings on Day 4 of the Manchester Test. Their composed stand came after an early collapse that saw India lose two wickets in a frantic three-over spell before lunch, denting their response to England's imposing lead.

The Indian captain brought up his fourth fifty-plus score of the series © Getty

At Tea, India reached 86/2, with Gill scoring a half-century and the unbroken partnership offering hope, but they still trailed by 225 runs.

The second session began with Rahul and Gill finding the boundary a few times, but the English bowlers, Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer, maintained tight lines, keeping the batsmen under pressure. England reviewed an lbw appeal by Archer against Gill, but the on-field decision stood due to inconclusive evidence. Gill also endured a blow to the glove and further lbw shouts. Rahul faced similar probing deliveries, adding to the tense atmosphere.

Brydon Carse and Woakes continued to apply pressure with movement in both directions. However, Gill and Rahul responded with elegant boundaries, building a half-century partnership. Gill displayed aggression, dispatching Archer for a beautiful cover drive and an upper cut for two boundaries. He then cut Liam Dawson for another four, pushing him into the 40s. Rahul, in contrast, adopted a more cautious approach, focusing on defense. England wasted their second review when Carse struck Gill on the pad, with replays showing the ball was heading down leg.

Gill had a stroke of luck when Dawson dropped a chance at gully off a drive from Carse. Rahul also survived a scare when a top-edged sweep off Dawson landed safely. Late in the session, Gill reached his half-century with a clip off Joe Root, guiding India to Tea without further loss.

Earlier in the day, Ben Stokes propelled England to a formidable 669, extending their lead to 311, with a magnificent 141, his first Test century in over two years. After Dawson fell early to Jasprit Bumrah, Stokes counter-attacked, reaching his century and then adding 41 runs off just 34 balls. He also became the third all-rounder in Test history to achieve the 7000-run and 200-wicket milestone. Carse contributed a quickfire 47 as England attacked both spin and pace before being bowled out just before Lunch.

India's woes continued as Woakes delivered a double-wicket maiden before the interval. Yashasvi Jaiswal edged to the slips due to away movement, while Sai Sudharsan fell victim to indecision, both within five balls. India were yet to score in their second innings when the damage was done. Gill survived a close lbw appeal on the hat-trick ball and saw out the session.

Brief scores:

India 358 & 86/2 (Shubman Gill 52, KL Rahul 30; Chris Woakes 2-25) trail England 669 (Joe Root 150, Ben Stokes 141; Ravindra Jadeja 4-143) by 225 runs.