India is within touching distance of a memorable victory at Lord’s, needing just 135 more runs on the final day to go 2-1 up in the five-match Test series against England. Even though four wickets have fallen, India still has the dependable KL Rahul and the dynamic Rishabh Pant to guide the chase.
Gill’s Tactics Draw High Praise
On Day 4, India produced a top-class bowling display under the young captaincy of Shubman Gill, who led the team superbly to bowl England out for just 192. Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif was among those who hailed Gill’s leadership, comparing him to the iconic Sourav Ganguly, who famously captained India to NatWest Series glory 23 years ago.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒚 13 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍. 𝑫𝒂𝒅𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝑾𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑵𝒐𝒘 23 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒉𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒍’𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎,” 𝑲𝒂𝒊𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝑿 (𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓).
Kaif reminded fans that India’s epic 2002 run chase of 326 runs against England – which was the country’s highest-ever successful ODI chase at the time – had also come under Ganguly’s fearless leadership.
India’s Youngest Test Captain Shows His Mettle
Gill, who at 25 is India’s youngest Test skipper in the 21st century, is on course to lead the side to consecutive Test wins on English soil. His proactive captaincy was evident in the way he rotated his bowlers during England’s second innings. Off-spinner Washington Sundar shone with four wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj picked up two each. Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy chipped in with one apiece to complete England’s collapse.
“𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚. 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏,” 𝑲𝒂𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆.
Besides his tactical nous, Gill has also led with the bat, playing key innings in the series. The Lord’s Test has showcased his assertive side as well, particularly when he expressed frustration over the shape of the second new ball and the replacement ball handed over by the umpires.
India’s fans will be hoping Gill can now finish the job on Day 5 and script another chapter of famous overseas triumphs.
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