 "Rohit and Gill’s tons, Padikkal’s confident debut and other talking points from Day 2 of Dharamsala Test")
India were as clinical with the bat on the second day of the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala as they were on Day 1.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill led the way for the hosts as they posted a massive 473/8 at the close of play on Friday after bowling England out for a modest 218 on the previous day, stretching their lead to 255 in the process.
India ended up crossing the 400-mark for the fourth time in the ongoing series, compared to just one for England (420 in Hyderabad), and also posted the highest total of the series so far with a bit of batting still left in their innings.
With Day 2 coming to an end with India firmly in the driver’s seat, we take a look at some of the key talking points from the day’s play:
Rohit and Gill slam tons
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill played a central role in helping the Indians seize control on Day 2, bringing up their centuries and stitching a massive 171-run partnership for the second wicket to lay the foundation for India’s tall first innings score. It was the second century of the series for both Rohit and Gill, with the former taking his count in Tests to 12.
Read | Gill: 'First time my father is watching me play, hope he is proud of my effort'
Rohit had been attacking the English bowlers from the outset of the Indian innings and it was no different for him or for Gill on Friday; the Indian skipper collected 13 fours and three sixes during his 162-ball 103. Gill, on the other hand, smashed five maximums and 12 fours, one of which brought up his century.
Impact Shorts
View AllStokes strikes in first delivery since Ashes
In what could be described as the standout moment from the fifth Test so far, and certainly one of the top moments across the five Tests, England skipper Ben Stokes not only decided to roll his arm over for the first time in nine months, he ended up dismissing his Indian counterpart Rohit with a jaffa in his first ball of the day.
With the spinners unable to achieve a breakthrough in the morning session, Stokes decided to have pace from both ends after lunch, bringing himself into the attack alongside James Anderson. And the very first delivery that he bowled since sent down 15 overs in the second Test of last year’s Ashes at Lord’s Stokes got one to straighten along the off stump after firing it at an angle. Rohit was looking to defend the ball, only for the ball to go past the outside edge and knock the off stump over, resulting in the marathon second-wicket partnership getting broken.
Anderson grabs 699th
One wicket led to another as veteran England pacer Anderson struck right after Stokes’ removal of Rohit, this time getting rid of the other centurion in Shubman Gill. Gill and Anderson were having quite the battle on the second day, with the former showing little respect to the pace legend by collecting a handful of boundaries off his bowling.
Anderson would exchange a few pleasantries with Gill between overs and soon after, he got one to jag back in sharply that breached the batter’s defence and hit the top of off. England, suddenly were breathing fire after lunch, collecting two wickets in as many overs for just four runs, and sensed an opportunity to mount a comeback.
Padikkal shines on debut
Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan, however, would deflate the visiting team’s hopes of restricting India to a score of 350 or below with a solid 97-run partnership for the fourth wicket that took the hosts within touching distance of the 400-mark with plenty of wickets in hand.
While Sarfaraz regained his form after disappointing outings in Ranchi, where he had been dismissed for a duck during India’s chase of the 192-run target, Padikkal became the latest Indian to shine on debut as he struck a lively 65 off 103 balls, making the most of the opportunity handed to him after he was included in place of Rajat Patidar in the Indian XI for the Dharamsala Test.
Kuldeep and Bumrah frustrate visitors
England did claw back late in the day with India losing five wickets for 52 runs — all of them going to spinners Shoaib Bashir (4/170) and Tom Hartley (2/126). The kind of position they were in earlier in the day, the Indian dressing room would’ve expected 500 to be easily achieved on the belter of a surface at Dharamsala, but that suddenly looked extremely unlikely at 428/8 shortly after the 100-over mark.
Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, however, decided to not cave in to the pressure that England had suddenly created, and stitched an unbroken 45-run stand for the ninth wicket to ensure India ended the day with some batting to look forward to on the ‘Moving Day’ and revive their hopes of taking the hosts past 500 and stretch the lead past 300.
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