4th Take a look at: KL Rahul, Shubman Gill Lead India’s Fightback With Unbeaten Fifties, Hold England At Bay

KL Rahul and Shubman Gill led India’s defiant fightback through smashing their respective fifties and sharing an unbroken 174-run partnership off 361 balls to maintain England at bay, because the guests’ reached 174/2 in 63 overs at stumps on day 4 of fourth Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Take a look at at Previous Trafford.

Although the prospect of going for a draw continues to be distant, as they path by 137 runs, Rahul and Gill, unbeaten on 87 and 78 respectively, have given India and its followers a preventing likelihood of saving the match, one thing which regarded unbelievable at one level.

It was as a result of England made 669 in 157.1 overs and took a lead of 311 runs, with skipper Ben Stokes’ hitting his first Take a look at century in two years as he backed up his five-wicket haul with an outstanding knock of 141 from 198 balls – leaving India down and out of this recreation.

That chance elevated once they have been 0/2 in 5 balls of the second innings. Gill got here in on a hat-trick ball with India below immense strain, however he and Rahul – two calm people of their manner and temperament – confirmed their gritty talent and immense psychological toughness to have consecutive wicketless classes.

Whereas Gill was proficient in his drives, Rahul was pristine in his punches and cuts. It additionally helped India that Stokes hasn’t bowled but within the second innings, with the ball going gentle and pitch not exhibiting a lot methods. With rain forecasted for day 5, there’s nonetheless extra twists and turns to return on this recreation.

The morning started with Stokes punching and taking part in good cowl drive off Mohammed Siraj for a brace of boundaries, earlier than Liam Dawson pulled him for an additional 4. Bumrah then struck by getting one to skid by means of Dawson’s defences and smashed the highest of off-stump, because the batter fell for 26.

With Brydon Carse crunching Bumrah for 2 fours, Stokes reached the three-figure mark by flicking Siraj for 4 to carry up his first Take a look at hundred in additional than two years. He celebrated it with a fist bump earlier than wanting as much as the sky, along with his folded finger raised to present a tribute to his father Ged.

With India spreading the sphere out, Carse was constructing the rating with singles and hitting the occasional boundary. Stokes, however, danced down the pitch to hit Washington Sundar for six, earlier than reverse sweeping him for 4. He then timed the backfoot drive off Ravindra Jadeja for 4, earlier than hitting him over long-off for six.

Carse joined the enjoyable by slogging Sundar for 4 and 6 respectively, earlier than Stokes smashed Jadeja over long-off for an additional most. However in a bid to repeat it off Jadeja, Stokes mistimed the shot and holed out to long-on. England’s innings lastly ended when Carse went for the slog-sweep off Jadeja, however holed out within the deep.

For India, Jadeja took 4 wickets whereas Sundar had two scalps in a largely ineffective bowling efficiency. Bumrah conceded above 100 runs in a Take a look at match for the primary time whereas Siraj, debutant Kamboj and Thakur have been largely ineffective.

Coming from around the wicket angle, Woakes struck within the opening over when he received one to form away sufficient and take the forefront of Yashasvi Jaiswal, which was brilliantly caught by one-handed Joe Root going low to his proper at slip.

One introduced two for Woakes as B Sai Sudharsan initially tried leaving the ball, however the ball took backside fringe of the bat and was caught by Harry Brook at second slip. Rahul and Gill noticed off the remainder of the deliveries earlier than the session ended firmly in England’s favour.

Publish lunch, Gill survived two lbw shouts in 4 balls within the first over off Jofra Archer. Rahul, along with his means to soak up strain, punched Archer for 4 earlier than Gill, who stood outdoors the crease, reduce, punched and carved Woakes for 3 boundaries.

When Carse got here in, Gill unfurled two lovely on-drives for consecutive boundaries. After a decisive Rahul creamed Woakes for 4, Gill drove Archer by means of cowl for 4, earlier than upper-cutting him for a shocking boundary and utilizing his wrists nicely to chop Dawson for 4.

Gill may have been out on 46 when Dawson dropped a troublesome catch at gully off Carse’s bowling, and went on to boost his fifty simply earlier than tea break got here. In the course of the second session, Gill went previous Virat Kohli’s tally of 655 runs within the collection in opposition to England in 2016 and is now nicely in sight of surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s document of most runs as an Indian captain in a Take a look at collection (732).

By the way, every time Gill has reached fifty on this collection, he is transformed it right into a century. The ultimate session started with Rahul and Gill being watchful for fairly a while earlier than the previous received his first boundary by guiding Jofra Archer late by means of third man for 4, earlier than mentioning his half-century.

Whereas Gill turned out to old-school batting mode, Rahul let go of menacing bouncers from Archer and hit boundaries on those which have been brief and broad, earlier than Gill drove him by means of cowl for 4 extra.

Towards Chris Woakes, used his tempo to chop between slip and gully for 4, earlier than slashing a large ball by means of level for an additional boundary. When spinners Liam Dawson and Joe Root got here on, Rahul and Gill have been glad rotating the strike in opposition to them, aside from taking a boundary earlier than stumps got here on an engrossing day of Take a look at cricket, which in flip has set the stage for a gripping day 5.