IND vs ENG Highlights, 4th Test Match Day 4: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul power India to 174/2 at stumps

India vs England Highlights, 4th Test Match Day 4: India’s captain Shubman Gill delivered an outstanding rearguard effort to prevent England from securing a series-clinching win in the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Saturday, following a long-anticipated century by England’s skipper Ben Stokes.

Gill’s resilience was evident from the start, as India faced a precarious position at 0/2 after Chris Woakes struck with two successive balls in the first over of India’s second innings, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan for ducks in the slips.

Trailing by over 300 runs after England’s formidable first innings total of 669, highlighted by Stokes’ superb 141, India staged a dramatic fightback. Through a series of twists, they closed the fourth day at 174-2, with KL Rahul on 87 not out and Gill on 78 not out, leaving them 137 runs behind. While still in deficit, India has renewed hope of achieving a remarkable draw, as England, already leading 2-1 in the series, posted their fifth-highest Test score ever.

This innings marked a return to form for Gill, who started his first series as India’s captain with three centuries in four innings but had scored just 34 runs in his last three innings prior to this game.

Ben Stokes did not bowl on Saturday—a concerning sign for England given his recent history of hamstring issues—despite his outstanding performance in the first innings, where he took 5-72. His century in this match made him only the fourth England player to take five wickets and score a century in the same Test, joining Tony Greig, Ian Botham (who did it five times), and Gus Atkinson, now sidelined.

Initially, it seemed as if England might not need to bowl at all on Saturday. Gill narrowly avoided a hat-trick from Woakes, and after lunch, he survived a contentious lbw appeal from Jofra Archer—who was convinced he had struck pad, not bat—only for the review to be inconclusive, upholding the not-out decision.

Gill, who had scored two runs when Archer appealed, was then struck on the pad again, but this appeal was rejected, much to Archer’s disbelief. The 25-year-old responded with aggressive boundaries— a cut and a straight drive—off Woakes in quick succession. He also narrowly escaped dismissal for 46 when a thick edge off Brydon Carse went high to point, but Liam Dawson dropped the catch.

Gill reached a 77-ball fifty after a quick single off part-time spinner Joe Root. KL Rahul soon joined him, reaching 50 in 141 balls, as India mounted a staunch resistance with sound defensive play, though Rahul displayed attacking intent at times, responding to England’s wayward deliveries with elegant shots.

England resumed at 544-7, following Joe Root’s historic 150, which made him the second-highest run-scorer in Test history. Stokes, who was 77 not out overnight and briefly left the field with cramp, intensified the pressure with his aggressive batting.

He brought up his century with a leg-glance four off Jasprit Bumrah after 164 balls—a celebration marked by fist-raising, eye-gazing, and a finger gesture in honor of his late father Ged. This was Stokes’s first Test century in over two years, his 14th in 115 matches, and he celebrated passionately.

Stokes then continued his assault, launching Washington Sundar for a six and reverse sweeping the next ball for four. He also launched Ravindra Jadeja for another six, but on his next ball, he holed out to left-arm spinner Jadeja, with England ending their innings at 658-9, holding a lead of exactly 300 runs.