Gill, Rahul Resist England Onslaught, Steer India to Tea After Top-Order Collapse in Manchester Test

Shubman Gill and KL Rahul forged a resilient partnership, providing much-needed stability to India's second innings during the second session of the Manchester Test. This followed a dramatic three-over spell before lunch that saw India's response to England's substantial lead falter. Gill achieved a half-century, and together with Rahul, they constructed an unbroken stand, guiding India to 86/2 at Tea on Day 4. However, India still trails by 225 runs.

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

At the beginning of the second session, Rahul and Gill managed to hit a few boundaries. However, Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer bowled challenging lines, keeping the batsmen alert. An lbw appeal and review occurred when Archer believed he had trapped Gill in front during the first over after the interval. Yet, there wasn't enough clear evidence to reverse the on-field decision. Gill was also struck on the glove by Archer, and there were additional lbw inquiries against him when he was hit on the pad. The bowlers also troubled Rahul's bat on multiple occasions, increasing the pressure.

Subsequently, Brydon Carse bowled alongside Woakes. Both bowlers generated sufficient movement, causing problems for the batsmen. Gill and Rahul alleviated some pressure with well-timed boundaries, achieving a half-century partnership. Gill aggressively targeted Archer, executing a beautiful cover drive and an upper cut for two fours, followed by a cut off Liam Dawson for another boundary that propelled him into the 40s. Rahul adopted a more cautious approach, focusing on defense. England used their second review when Carse struck Gill on the pad, but replays showed the ball was going down.

Gill had a stroke of luck when Dawson dropped a drive off a Carse delivery. Rahul then top-edged a sweep off Dawson, but it landed safely. England introduced Joe Root late in the session, and Gill capitalized, clipping him away for three runs to reach another fifty-plus score in the series. He and Rahul guided India to Tea without losing any wickets.

Earlier, Ben Stokes spearheaded England's charge with a remarkable 141, his first Test century in over two years. His efforts helped the hosts reach a formidable 669, extending their lead to a daunting 311. India had hoped to dismiss the tail quickly. However, Stokes had different plans. After Dawson's early dismissal, the English captain counterattacked, reaching his century with a leg glance off Mohammed Siraj. He then added 41 more runs in just 34 balls. In the process, he became only the third all-rounder in Test history to achieve the 7000-run and 200-wicket double. Carse contributed a quick 47 as England attacked both spin and pace before being bowled out just before lunch.

The momentum continued as Woakes delivered a devastating double-wicket maiden, leaving the visitors reeling. Yashasvi Jaiswal was undone by movement away from the body, while Sai Sudharsan fell to indecision, both edging to the slips within five balls. India had not yet scored in their second innings when the damage was done. Gill survived a close LBW appeal on the hat-trick ball and managed to survive 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.