India v/s England: England need 536 runs to win the second test; rain might delay the match

New Delhi (India) July 6: India is now in an advantageous position in the match after absolutely dominating Day 4 of the second Test match against England. As he carried on from where he left off in the first innings, captain Shubman Gill took full advantage of the favourable batting circumstances to leave his mark on history and shatter several records. In order to build up a perfect Day 5 of the match, Indian bowlers were able to take 3 wickets of the England batting lineup.

With KL Rahul (28*) and Karun Nair (7*) at the crease, India started the day at 64/1 and led by 244 runs in the second innings. Tongue took the wicket of Rahul on 55 runs while Carse took the wicket of Nair on 26.

Gill, who had just scored a brilliant 269 in the first innings came to bat at the crease after their dismissals. As he went out to bat, the captain of India showed composure and was joined by Rishabh Pant at the crease.

Both Pant and Gill left the pitch aggressively in the second session, swiftly pushing India's advantage beyond 400. With just 103 balls, the pair scored 110 runs for the fourth wicket. Pant lost his bat as he was batting against Shoaib Bashir and got out on 65 (58) at long-off.

As the team crossed the 500-run threshold after tea, it appeared as though India would declare. However, considering England's previous chasing record, skipper Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir continued to play it cautiously.

Captain Gill was able to take full advantage of the favourable batting conditions due to the delay. He continued to score runs and became the first batter in the history of the game to reach both a hundred and 150 in the same Test. Finally when he was on 161 runs, Bashir got him out. 

India made the announcement after their lead exceeded 600 runs and they gave England a challenging 608-run target. As England came out to chase the huge score, attention once again turned to the Indian bowlers. As usual, Ben Duckett got off to a fast start, striking Mohammed Siraj with consecutive boundaries.

But the Indian seamer made a strong comeback, trapping Zak Crawley for a seven-ball. Duckett continued to attack Siraj, but Akash Deep took his wicket. The right-arm seamer also left England in a lot of danger after he took Joe Root's valuable wicket.

As a result, England need 536 runs to win at 72/3, with Ollie Pope (24*) and Harry Brook (15*) at the crease.

Rain is a factor that can hamper the game. Rain is expected to persist when play begins on day five in Birmingham, which saw bad weather overnight. A few overs could be lost, but the good news for neutrals and India supporters is that the weather is predicted to improve swiftly and stay suitable for play starting in the afternoon.

Aadrika Tayal