The China Mail - Sundar and Jadeja follow Gill's lead as India frustrate England in fourth Test

India did not lose a wicket in the second session of the last day's play in Manchester to reach tea on 322-4 in their second innings, an overall lead of 11 runs following England's mammoth first-innings 669.

Sundar was 57 not out and Jadeja, dropped first ball, 53 not out -- his fifth fifty of the series.

The spin-bowling all-rounders' unbroken partnership of exactly 100 was just what India needed as they looked to deny an increasingly weary England an unassailable 3-1 lead in this five-match series.

India resumed on 174-2 with KL Rahul 87 not out and Gill 78 not out.

The pair had come together with India in dire straits at 0-2 after Chris Woakes struck with successive deliveries in the first over of the innings.

This match has been a personal triumph for England captain Ben Stokes after he became just the fourth England cricketer to score a hundred and take five wickets in the same Test, his 141 on Saturday following a haul of 5-72 in India's first-innings 358.

But Stokes, who suffered from cramp while batting, did not bowl at all during the 63 overs India faced on Saturday.

Stokes was also seen repeatedly clutching the top of his leg, having had surgery on his left hamstring at the start of this year.

But Stokes brought himself on to bowl at the start of Sunday's play.

Already the leading bowler on either side this series with 16 wickets at 24.75, Stokes almost had Gill caught for 81 by a leaping Ollie Pope at short cover.

But Stokes did break through when he had obdurate opener Rahul, in sight of his third century of the series, plumb lbw with a nip-back ball that kept a touch low.

- Gill record -

Fast-medium bowler Stokes, still grabbing the top of his left leg on occasion as well as his right shoulder bowled an unchanged spell of 1-12 in eight overs until the advent of the new ball, with India then 198-3 off 80 overs.

Woakes took up the attack but was powerless to prevent the single that took Gill to a 228-ball century including 12 fours.

But Gill's near seven-hour innings, that started when he came in on a hat-trick, ended with a surprisingly careless dismissal as he flicked at a Jofra Archer ball outside off stump and was caught behind

At that stage, it might have been little consolation to the 25-year-old Gill to know he had set a new record for the most runs scored by an India batsman in a series against England of 722, surpassing team-mate Yashasvi Jaiswal's 712 in 2023/24.

India's 222-4 could have been 222-5 next ball when Jadeja edged a fiery Archer delivery to first slip where a leaping Joe Root dropped a catch above his head and failed to grab the ball at the second attempt.

Sundar and Jadeja were largely untroubled after lunch, barring the odd sharply turning ball from frontline spinner Liam Dawson and part-timer Root.

And even when inspirational captain Stokes put himself through the pain barrier again by coming on for another spell, Sundar pulled him for a six and a four off successive balls to complete a 117-ball fifty.

Jadeja then cut Stokes for four to complete yet another fifty which he acknowledged with his trademark 'sword dance' to the delight of a large contingent of India fans.

A.Kwok--ThChM