ENG vs IND | Twitter impressed as Rahul and Gill’s gritty fifties extend India’s fight into final day

‌KL Rahul and Shubman Gill scored fighting half-centuries as India were placed at 174/2 against England after the fourth day’s play at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. Rahul remained unbeaten on 86 off 205 balls while Gill gave him company with 77 off 161 balls as the visitors still trail England by 137 runs after captain Ben Stokes’ gritty century took his side to 669.

Starting day four with a lead of 186 runs, England motored on against India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Captain Ben Stokes completed his 14th Test hundred and, along with the lower order, plundered 125 runs in just 22 overs in the first session. Stokes hit 11 fours and three sixes during his knock of 141 as the hosts were bowled out for 669 with an overall lead of 311 runs.

With three overs to survive before lunch, India had a disastrous start, losing two wickets in the first over without scoring a run. Chris Woakes dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan, both caught at slip off consecutive deliveries, with Shubman Gill surviving the hat-trick ball. The visitors went for lunch at 1/2, still needing 310 runs to make England bat again.

Captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, however, steadied the Indian ship, adding 85 runs in 26 overs in the second session without losing a wicket. Gill was the aggressor of the two, hitting eight fours to bring up his fifty in 77 balls, while Rahul held one end up playing 93 balls for his 30 when the teams took tea.

The resistance continued in the final session too, with Rahul also reaching his half-century in 141 balls. They successfully kept England at bay, adding another 88 runs to the Indian total, taking their unbeaten partnership to 174.