Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred before Gill holds firm for India / Photo: © AFP
Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred before Gill holds firm for India
England captain Ben Stokes ended his more than two-year wait for a Test hundred before India skipper Shubman Gill led a rearguard action after the tourists sensationally lost two wickets without a run on the scoreboard at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Stokes' dominant 141 powered England to 669 all out -- their fifth-highest total of all time -- on the fourth day of the fourth Test.
England, already 2-1 up in this five-match series, now had a huge first-innings lead of 311 runs.
Chris Woakes then struck with successive balls of the first over of India's second innings as both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan fell for ducks.
Jaiswal nicked the fourth ball of the over, a good length delivery that seamed away, to first slip where Joe Root dropped a two-handed chance but clung on with one at the second attempt.
Next ball Sudharsan, uncertain whether to play or leave, did neither as he edged to Harry Brook at second slip.
Gill survived a legside hat-trick ball from veteran paceman Woakes but at lunch the tourists were still in dire straits at 1-2.
By tea, however, India had recovered to 86-2, a deficit of 225 runs, with opener KL Rahul 30 not out and Gill 52 not out.
But Gill, who had started his first series as India skipper with three hundreds in four innings, only to manage 34 runs in total his last three, might have been out for 46.
An edge off Brydon Carse flew high to point but Liam Dawson could not hold a two-handed chance.
Stokes did not bowl himself between lunch and tea, although an England spokesman insisted the skipper was fit enough to bring himself on after taking an excellent 5-72 in India's first-innings 358.
The hosts' leading bowler this series, Stokes is just the fourth England player to take five wickets and score a hundred in the same Test after Tony Greig, Ian Botham -- who did it five times -- and the currently sidelined Gus Atkinson.
England resumed in command at 544-7 after Root had become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history during his majestic 150 on Friday.
- Stokes hits out -
Stokes, 77 not out overnight after briefly leaving the field with cramp Friday after his first fifty of the series, delighted the crowd Saturday with some thrilling strokeplay.
The left-handed batsman twice cover-drove Mohammed Siraj for superb fours as he went to 88.
Stokes charged down the pitch to drive Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, for three to go to 99.
Bumrah beat Stokes on the outside edge before a leg-glanced four off paceman Bumrah -- his ninth boundary in 164 balls faced -- saw the England skipper to a century.
It was all-rounder Stokes' first Test hundred in more than two years following a whirlwind 155 against Australia at Lord's in June 2023.
The 34-year-old celebrated his 14th century in 115 Tests by clenching his fist, looking to the sky and making a crooked finger gesture in honour of his late father Ged Stokes before raising his bat to a cheering crowd.
With the shackles off, Stokes then straight drove Washington Sundar for six and next ball he reverse swept the off-spinner for four.
Stokes then launched Ravindra Jadeja for six but, trying to repeat the stroke, next ball he holed out off the left-arm spinner with England exactly 300 runs ahead at 658-9.
Carse added a useful 47 before he was last man out, also caught in the deep off Jadeja. The all-rounder was one of several India bowlers to concede more than 100 runs, albeit Jadeja's return of 4-143 in 37.1 overs was relatively economical.
J.Frank--NRZ
