Gill makes another ton as India lead England by 484
BIRMINGHAM, England - India captain Shubman Gill rewrote the record books with a masterful century and stretched his team's lead to a daunting 484 runs at tea on day four of the second test against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Gill's unbeaten 100, following his first-innings double century (269), took him past compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's 344 runs in a single test against the West Indies in 1971.
India are yet to declare with four sessions left, but England already face a mountain that has been climbed by only four teams in test history -- chasing a fourth-innings target of over 400 for victory.
After Gill lost his vice-captain Rishabh Pant (65) following a 110-run partnership, Ravindra Jadeja (25 not out) joined him at the crease.
Just as in the first innings -- in which they shared a 203-run stand -- they frustrated the England bowlers with a 68-run partnership to take India's total to 304-4.
In the first session, Brydon Carse had Karun Nair caught behind while KL Rahul crafted a patient 55 before Josh Tongue struck with a ball that seamed off the pitch to go past the Indian batter's defence and hit the stumps.
Tongue's delight was short-lived, however, as Pant walked in and unsettled the fast bowler with a boundary before he danced down the track to smash it over his head for six.
Pant survived when, on 10, he smashed the ball straight to mid off where Zak Crawley spilled the catch, and he made the bowlers pay with a flurry of fours and another six.
He also sent his willow flying to square leg where it landed safely, much to the amusement of the Edgbaston crowd, but not the England bowlers who saw their momentum halted after a productive first hour.
Pant brought up their 100-run partnership in 89 balls when he smashed Tongue for another six which also took India's lead past 400.
Pant lost his bat with another extravagant shot after lunch, but this time he skied the ball to long off where Ben Duckett took the catch.
England did chase down 371 to win the first test by five wickets and their highest successful chase came at this ground three years ago when they made 378 to beat India.
The highest successful run chase in tests came in 2003 when the West Indies scored 418 to defeat Australia. REUTERS
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