Day 4 began with English skipper Ben Stokes scripting history and ended with India putting up a solid fight to minimize the deficit. With England scoring 669, their fifth-highest total in Test history, the visitors looked in a solid position. India began their second innings by losing two wickets without a run on the board. But fifties from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul stabilized the innings, helping the visitors reach 174/2 by stumps, still trailing by 137 runs.
The morning was full of impressive moments from Stokes. Resuming on 77, the England skipper not only completed a much-awaited century, his first in 35 innings, but also joined an elite list of all-rounders with over 7000 runs and 200 Test wickets, alongside Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.
England’s innings, which was stretched for 157 overs, put the Indian bowlers and fielders on the back foot. With just 15 minutes before lunch, Chris Woakes dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck with a peach that took the edge. On the next delivery, Sai Sudharsan went for a half-hearted shot at a wide delivery and was caught at slip.
Following which, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul stitched together a brilliant stand.
Gill reached his fifty in 77 deliveries and ended the day unbeaten on 78 off 167 balls. Meanwhile, Rahul reached his half-century off 141 balls. Together, the duo stitched an unbroken 174-run stand, India’s 19th fifty-plus partnership of the series.
Their efforts have given India a faint chance of saving the match. Notably, Rahul becomes the second Asian opener to aggregate 500-plus runs in a Test series in England, after Sunil Gavaskar (542 in 1979). He’s also the second visiting opener to do that in the country in the 21st century after Graeme Smith (714 runs in 2003). The visitors ended the day on 174/2, trailing by 137 runs.
India
