Ahmedabad, Feb 12 (UNI) India put up a commanding total of 356 after being invited to bat first against England, with Shubman Gill’s sparkling century and crucial contributions from Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer leading the charge.
England, however, made a strong comeback in the death overs, preventing India from breaching the 375-run mark. Despite the late slowdown, the hosts remain in a dominant position, backed by their formidable spin attack.
Mark Wood provided England an early breakthrough, dismissing skipper Rohit Sharma in the second over with a peach of a delivery for one. Kohli (52) started cautiously but grew in confidence, stitching together a crucial stand with Gill. The duo tackled the early jolt, finding boundaries at regular intervals to push the momentum in India’s favour.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, however, provided England a crucial breakthrough, removing Kohli for the second time in the series just after the star batsman reached his half-century.
Gill found solid support from Iyer, and the pair added 104 runs, putting India in a commanding position. Gill’s masterful 112 anchored the innings before Rashid once again struck, dismissing him with a well-flighted delivery. Iyer chipped in with a fluent 78 but fell against the run of play.
England clawed back in the last phase of the innings, with Rashid leading the charge. India could only manage 67 runs in the last nine overs, as wickets at regular intervals stemmed their momentum. Rashid finished with figures of 4/64 in his 10 overs, emerging as the pick of the bowlers.
With 356 on the board, India’s spinners could play a crucial role under lights. The question remains - will the ball skid on, aiding England’s chase, or will India’s spinners tighten their grip on the contest?
UNI BDN SS