MANCHESTER– India’s skipper Shubman Gill praised his team’s fighting spirit after they salvaged a dramatic draw in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England at Old Trafford. Facing a daunting deficit and losing two early wickets in their second innings, Gill described the batting response as “a very brave effort.”
Starting day four at 0/2 and trailing by 311 runs, India looked headed for a defeat that would have cost them the series. However, a remarkable second-innings revival—highlighted by centuries from Gill (103), Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out), and Washington Sundar (100 not out), along with a crucial 90 from KL Rahul—secured a memorable draw.
“I’m extremely pleased with the batting,” said Gill at the post-match presentation. “We were under a lot of pressure, but the way we responded, especially after losing two early wickets, was a very brave effort.”
He added that the team focused on eliminating the pitch conditions from their thinking: “It was all about taking the wicket out of the equation. Every ball is an event—you just have to take it one ball at a time and stretch the game as deep as possible.”
The final moments of the match drew attention as both Jadeja and Sundar opted not to shake hands with England captain Ben Stokes immediately, choosing instead to focus on reaching their centuries. “It was up to the boys in the middle,” said Gill. “They were in the 90s, they batted brilliantly, and they deserved their centuries.”
Gill, whose 103 marked his ninth Test hundred and fourth of the series, emphasized the emotional weight of playing for India. “It doesn’t matter how many runs you’ve scored before. Every time you walk out wearing the whites of your country, there are jitters. That shows how much I care. Every time I bat, I want to give it my all and enjoy it.”
Reflecting on the contrast between the two innings, Gill said, “In the first innings, we posted a good total, but many of our batters got set without going deep. On these kinds of wickets, one or two players need to bat big to take the game away from the opposition. We didn’t convert those starts in the first innings, but we did that well in the second.”
Asked about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness ahead of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting Thursday, Gill said, “We’ll have to wait and see. As long as we’re winning the match, I don’t really care about the toss result.” (Source: IANS)
