Gill's twin tons power India to brink of victory
India declared at 427/6, setting England a near-impossible target of 608, and reduced the hosts to 72/3 by stumps.
Gill, already lauded for his double-century earlier in the match, batted with audacity and elegance, becoming the first player in Test cricket to score both a double-hundred and 150+ in the same game. His 162-ball knock featured 13 fours and 8 sixes, many of them struck with a confidence that deflated England's weary bowlers. He danced down the track, slog-swept Joe Root multiple times over the fence, and carved boundaries with impunity as the lead soared past 600.
India had resumed the day at 64/1 and lost Karun Nair and KL Rahul before lunch. Rahul's 55 came with trademark elegance, while Rishabh Pant's 65 off 58 balls added the fireworks, including a six that sent his bat flying out of his hands before being caught by Ben Duckett at long-off. Pant and Gill added a rapid 92-ball century stand, keeping England on the back foot throughout the morning.
After Pant's dismissal, Ravindra Jadeja took charge as Gill's partner, contributing a steady 69* and completing his half-century with a late cut, celebrating with his familiar sword twirl. The fifth-wicket stand between the two swelled to 150, and the runs kept coming at a brisk rate of nearly five an over. Gill's 150 came with a towering slog-sweep, greeted by a handshake from Jadeja and applause from the spectators. His eventual dismissal — caught and bowled by Bashir for 161 — brought a standing ovation not just from the spectators, but also from Root, Bashir, and Stokes.
Washington Sundar then walked in and wasted no time, smashing Root for a six and a four in the 82nd over. That sequence pushed the lead to 596, prompting the declaration at 427/6.
England's chase began disastrously. Mohammed Siraj struck early, removing Zak Crawley for a duck, caught at backward point by substitute Sai Sudharsan. Akash Deep then took center stage. He bowled Duckett with a sharp nip-backer, repeating his first-innings dismissal, and followed it up with a sensational delivery from wide of the crease to dismiss Joe Root. The ball straightened just enough to beat Root's bat and crash into off stump — a peach that brought the No.1 ranked Test batsman to his knees.
Despite boundaries from Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, England were clearly rattled, with Pope surviving an inside edge and Brook glancing a few loose deliveries to the fence. By stumps, they were tottering at 72/3, still needing 536 more to win with a final day remaining.
India's bowlers, buoyed by a dominant batting display and a charged-up lead, now have the platform to push for a crushing victory tomorrow. England, on the other hand, are left hoping for rain, resistance, or redemption, all of which appear distant under the Edgbaston skies.
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