On the back of brilliant centuries by Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, India managed to draw the fourth Test match against England. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, India scored 358 runs in their first innings, thanks to half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Rishabh Pant. England replied strongly with 669 runs in their first innings, taking a massive 311-run lead. In response, India put up 425/4 in their second innings, ending the match in a draw. England still lead the five-match series 2-1. The final Test will begin at The Oval on 31 August.
India began the fifth day of the match at 174/2, trailing England by 137 runs, with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul at the crease. In the first session, Ben Stokes provided the breakthrough, trapping Rahul LBW for 90 runs off 230 balls. Rahul and Gill had added 188 runs for the third wicket off 421 balls. This partnership set a new record for the most balls faced by an Indian pair in a Test match in England, surpassing the previous record of 405 balls by Sanjay Bangar and Rahul Dravid in Leeds in 2002.
Coming in to bat at No. 5, Washington Sundar shared a 34-run stand with Gill. During this time, captain Gill reached his 103 runs from 238 balls, hitting 12 fours. Gill brought up his fourth century of the current series off 228 deliveries, which was also his ninth Test century overall. With this, Gill equaled Don Bradman’s record for most centuries as a captain in a single series. Bradman had scored four centuries during the 1947 series against India. Gill was dismissed by Jofra Archer, caught behind by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
After Gill’s dismissal, Washington Sundar was joined by Ravindra Jadeja. The pair showed remarkable resilience and ensured India avoided an innings defeat. They not only wiped out the deficit but also took the game to safety, resulting in a draw. The duo stitched an unbroken 203-run partnership for the fourth wicket in 334 balls. Jadeja completed his fifth Test century, scoring 107* from 182 balls, while Sundar registered his maiden Test century with an unbeaten 101* from 206 balls.
Earlier, India’s second innings had begun disastrously as Chris Woakes dismissed both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan for ducks in the opening over. For England, Chris Woakes took two wickets, while Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes claimed one wicket each in the second innings.