India vs England: Defiant Centurions Gill, Jadeja & Sundar Eke Out Hard-Fought Draw

Series Remains Alive as India and England Face Off in Fifth Test at The Oval

India played out a hard-fought draw against England in the fourth Test, thanks to two defiant stands between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, and Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. The series remains alive as the two teams face each other in the fifth Test at The Oval starting Thursday, July 31.

Rahul and Gill's Dogged Stand Helps India Avert Crisis

The morning session saw Rahul and Gill extend their stand, which helped India avert a crisis last evening. However, England continued to pose challenges on a wearing surface with uneven bounce. Stokes, who did not bowl on Day 4 owing to cramp, looked threatening and handed his side the first breakthrough of the day when he trapped Rahul LBW for 90.

Gill Survives Close LBW Shouts and Reaches Eighth Test Ton

Gill survived a couple of close LBW shouts and a blow to his glove en-route to his eighth Test ton. He was eventually out caught chasing a wide delivery from Jofra Archer.

Jadeja and Washington Maintain Defiant Approach

The Indian pair of Jadeja and Washington shrugged off the morning session's late jolts and maintained a defiant approach post lunch. They steadily chipped away at England's lead, despite the ball beating the bat regularly.

Washington and Jadeja Celebrate Centuries in Style

With confidence growing, they began to adopt a more attacking approach. Washington struck a six and a four to bring up his fifty in style, while Jadeja celebrated his own fifty with a boundary three balls later.

Jadeja and Washington Shift into Higher Gears

The duo were sterner at the start of the final session, trading their cautious yet positive approach for a staunchly counter-attacking one. Jadeja displayed an obvious shift in mentality when he attacked Liam Dawson twice by charging down the wicket.

England Unable to Make Further Inroads

Barring a few hopeful appeals for LBW, England continued to toil unsuccessfully as the day dragged on. The Indians marched on steadfast with centuries in sight and refused to shake hands when Stokes offered to when the final hour was signalled.

Brief Scores

• India: 358 (Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58; Ben Stokes 5-72) & 425/4 (Ravindra Jadeja 107*, Shubman Gill 103, Washington Sundar 101*; Chris Woakes 2-77)
• England: 669 (Joe Root 150, Ben Stokes 141; Ravindra Jadeja 4-143)