Rohan Chowdhury in Manchester
The opening session of Day 5 in the Manchester Test unfolded like a gripping chapter in a classic cricketing saga — a story of two captains rising to the occasion, each in his own gritty way. Shubman Gill’s resilient century, the first by an Indian at Old Trafford since Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic ton in 1990, was the highlight of the overcast morning in Manchester. England skipper Ben Stokes, hampered by a nagging hamstring and a suspected shoulder niggle, charged in with the ball, defying physical limits to fight for his team.
India resumed at 174/2, trailing by 137, with the goal of salvaging a draw. Few would have predicted this scenario after the top-order collapse on Day 4, when Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. But the steady partnership between KL Rahul and Gill through the rest of Day 4 gave India a lifeline.
With Liam Dawson opening the bowling, it was Stokes who stole the early morning spotlight, warming up and then introducing himself into the attack from the second over of the day. The effort paid off, though not immediately. The breakthrough came in the 70th over when KL Rahul, batting on 90, fell victim to the pitch — a low, unpredictable delivery struck him on the pad and he was given out LBW. He walked off visibly disappointed, but with applause for a knock full of grit.
The surface continued to deteriorate — uneven and unpredictable bounce made life difficult for the batters and bowlers. Gill soldiered on, absorbing the pressure and even a painful blow to the thumb from Stokes. After brief medical attention, he resumed and reached his century — a masterclass in patience and resilience. His innings finally ended at 103, caught behind off Jofra Archer.
Washington Sundar offered stability at the other end, while Ravindra Jadeja had a stroke of luck — dropped by Joe Root at first slip on his very first ball.
Gill joined an elite club of captains to score over 700 runs in a single Test series, alongside legendary names like Sir Donald Bradman (twice), Sir Garfield Sobers, Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, David Gower, Graham Gooch and Graeme Smith.
At lunch, India are trailing by 88 runs. With two sessions left and six wickets in hand, the battle to save the Test is getting tougher.
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