Shubman Gill Shines Again as India Battles England in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
India's Struggle on Day Five at Old Trafford
Manchester: Shubman Gill achieved his ninth Test century and fourth in the current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, while KL Rahul contributed with a score of 90. However, both players fell during the first session, leaving India at 223/4 after 89 overs, trailing England by 88 runs at lunch on the fifth day at Old Trafford.
The session was marked by a slow scoring rate, with only 49 runs scored off 26 overs. India showed resilience early on, but the loss of key players like Rahul and Gill puts them in a position where they must aim for a draw in the remaining 64 overs, especially with limited batting depth, although Rishabh Pant arrived at the ground on crutches.
For England, captain Ben Stokes, despite dealing with shoulder issues, bowled an eight-over spell that included the wicket of Rahul, while Jofra Archer dismissed a solid Gill. Archer nearly had Ravindra Jadeja out for a duck if not for a dropped catch by Joe Root at slip. Stokes began the session with himself on the bowling end and quickly faced variable bounce, including an lbw appeal against Gill.
Gill was given a reprieve on 81 when Ollie Pope dropped a catch at short cover off Stokes. England faced further disappointment when they reviewed a sweep by Rahul off Dawson, only to find the ball missing the stumps, resulting in the loss of their final review for this innings.
Stokes' persistence paid off when his unplayable nip-backer struck Rahul's pad, leading to an lbw dismissal for 90, ending the 188-run partnership with Gill. Gill then pulled Archer for four runs before reaching his well-earned century with a single off Woakes.
However, just 15 minutes before lunch, Archer struck again, capitalizing on Gill's momentary lapse in concentration as he edged a wide delivery to Jamie Smith, falling for 103.
Archer nearly claimed another wicket, but Root fumbled at slip, allowing Jadeja to survive on nought. With Washington Sundar not out on 21, Jadeja faces a significant challenge to partner with his fellow spin-bowling all-rounder to help save the match for India.
Brief Scores: India 358 and 223/4 in 89 overs (Shubman Gill 103, KL Rahul 90; Chris Woakes 2-57, Ben Stokes 1-12) trail England 669 in 157.1 overs (Joe Root 150; Ravindra Jadeja 4-143) by 88 runs.