India vs England 5th Test: Rohit and Gill Dominated the England Attack
In the second day of the Dharamsala Test, India asserted their dominance, amassing a commanding lead of 255 runs over England with two first-innings wickets in hand. The partnership of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, both scoring centuries, laid the foundation for India’s formidable position in the match.
England’s best bowler of the day is Shoaib Bashir. India finishes the day comfortably ahead by 255 runs with two wickets remaining in the first innings.
England’s 255 runs behind after stumping India 473 for 8 (Gill 110, Rohit 103, Padikkal 65, Sarfaraz 56, Bashir 4-170, Hartley 2-126).
England’s fortunes could not be turned around, not even by some Ben Stokes brilliance with the ball. Having not bowled competitively since the second Test of the last Ashes series, Stokes took Rohit‘s wicket with his first delivery of the new series. After lunch, Rohit began his innings and was struck by a sharply seaming ball that not only ruined the 171-run stand for the second wicket, but also offered another example of what-might-have-been for England this trip.
After a 251-day hiatus, Stokes returned to his role as an all-rounder, and England’s attack worked diligently in the calm circumstances. They were, however, let down by a few of clumsy moments in the field, such as when Stokes followed through on a delivery that was later ruled to be a no-ball and dropped Sarfaraz.
Once again, Shoaib Bashir impressed, showing both cutting edge and durability while still dealing with the aftermath of a stomach ailment that limited his participation in the build-up. In just his third Test match, Bashir could have celebrated a second five-for if Zak Crawley hadn’t missed a close chance at leg slip when Rohit was on 68 throughout his 44-over stretch, which tied the first innings in Ranchi for the longest in first-class cricket.
Then, as India‘s ninth-wicket combination successfully navigated a path to the close, Stokes dismissed Kuldeep Yadav in the slips in Bashir’s last over of the day.
Following a calm morning session in which India had amassed 129 runs without losing, Gill’s off stump was flattened by Rohit’s departure, and James Anderson claimed wicket No. 699 in Tests, providing England with a chance to recover. At one point the advantage was 61 but any feeling of an opportunity for England was dashed by yet another brilliant future collaboration between two batsmen.
At No. 4, Padikkal initially detected the border consistently while Sarfaraz settled in. Sarfaraz reached his third Test half-century with a burst of attacking shots after he had steadily increased his score to 9 off 30 balls. India led by more than 150 at tea after Mark Wood was sent into the stands and Sarfaraz faced Tom Hartley with the second new ball.
Following the break, England struck once more quickly as Bashir trapped Sarfaraz at slip while he was trying to cut back on the opening ball. To get his first fifty, Padikkal casually lofted the England offspinner for six overs long-on. However, he was unable to continue when Bashir caught him on the wicket with a ball that spun to smash the top of off stump. After Dhruv Jurel holed out to give Bashir his fourth, Hartley struck twice in the next over, first pinning Ravindra Jadeja leg before wicket and then R Ashwin playing around an arm that continued.
Also Read: Rohit Unsure About the Pitch, Root the Beneficiary
Also Read: Stokes Inspires England to Pursue Victory Against India
By then, India had easily climbed to the top without any difficulty, and the day’s outline was as distinct as the hills in the distance. As the home team strengthened their hold on the game, the overnight players both went on to record their second hundreds of the series: Rohit with his 12th overall and Gill with his fourth in Tests.
They added fifty runs in the opening ten overs of play, with Rohit hitting Bashir twice over his head in the third over of the morning before Gill hit him for six with a sneer. After watching an inside edge from Bashir elude Crawley, Gill tightened the gap on his captain, who batted on unfazed by his fifty from 64 balls.
After Rohit flat-batted Wood through extra cover to establish India’s second consecutive century partnership, Gill swung Bashir down the ground for another of his five sixes, and they soon passed England’s total of 218.
With lunch almost ready, Rohit became the first player to reach his century by flicking Hartley through the leg side. Gill also raised three digits after he slog-swept Bashir for four after two balls. In the build-up, Stokes had scoffed down suggestions that he may assist balance the assault in circumstances that were more seam-friendly, but he produced a “who writes your scripts?” moment as soon as he joined Anderson in tandem at the beginning of the afternoon session.
Just before the lunch, Rohit reached his century by flicking Hartley through the leg side. Gill also raised three digits after he slog-swept Bashir for four after two balls. In the build-up, Stokes had scoffed down suggestions that he may assist balance the assault in circumstances that were more seam-friendly, but he produced a “who writes your scripts?” moment as soon as he joined Anderson in tandem at the beginning of the afternoon session.
England made a brief comeback when Anderson took revenge on Gill by putting one back through the gate and Padikkal twice edged wide of the slips. The 97-run stand between Padikkal and Sarfaraz, however, once again closed the door on Stokes and Co., replacing the false shots with a rising sense of power. The chance for a first-ever Test century must have occurred to both batsmen, only for Bashir to spur yet another late comeback. But England already faced a mountain to climb after using the bat to tumble down a ravine.
