England vs India: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar vs Ben Stokes & Co – the story of a riveting first session on Day 5

India would lose Rahul in the first half hour of the first session and Gill in the last before lunch. But it was an intriguing session of ups and downs. There were plots, sub-plots, tactics, counter-tactics. There were aches, pains and heart-breaks too.

11 am: (India – 174/2 in 63 overs, trailing by 137 runs)

The talk about Ben Stokes nursing a hamstring injury and not being able to bowl on the final day was either a rumour or the England skipper pulling a Novak Djokovic on the world. Stokes didn’t bowl on Saturday but on the fifth morning was a different beast. After left-arm spinner Liam Dawson bowled an over, he was taking off his woollens and cap and would bowl the most challenging over of the innings. This wasn’t going to be an easy morning for Rahul and Gill.

Stokes is sticking to the plain vanilla fifth-day bowling plan – aim for the stumps and leave it to the wear and tear of the pitch to change the trajectory of the ball. He is bowling from the old pavilion end with a few patches of dirty rough outside the right-hander’s off-stump.

Gill pokes at one ball and misses. He goes for a walk towards square-leg for atonement. Soon, he has to bring his bat hastily down as a Stokes ball keeps terribly low. Another walk to square-leg to take his mind off this wicked surface. He tries to hit straight but can’t reach the boundary line. Finally, it is a Stokes ball on the legs that gets Gill, and India, the day’s first four.

At the other end, Rahul is facing Dawson – the busy-looking spinner who computers say is getting much more drift and turn than he did on Saturday. Stokes has surrounded Rahul with fielders, there is pressure on him. The opener sweeps and misses, the ball passes close to the bat. England think he is caught behind, DRS shows Rahul isn’t. No reviews left for England, they have exhausted their quota.

After bowling his menacing overs, Stokes keeps feeling his shoulder blade. He seems to be in trouble but only when he is not bowling. With an alleged dodgy shoulder and suspected hamstring strain, the England captain’s dependence on the pitch to get wickets works. Rahul is beaten by a nip-backer that stays low. He starts walking even before the umpire raises his finger. He and Gill were together for close to 70 overs, they were supposed to take India home. Indians prayed they would stay on the pitch all day. The partnership was broken in the first half an hour.

11.30: India – 188/3, 71 overs, trailing by 123 runs

The Gill vs Stokes battle is getting intense. The captains aren’t giving up. The end from which Stokes is bowling is getting dangerous for right-handers – the rough outside off is getting diabolical. Stokes is bending his back, he knows England now have an opportunity to end this quickly. He virtually takes Gill out with a ball that climbs on him out of nowhere. The ball hits the Indian captain’s fingers and ricochets to the side of the head. Such is the power of the blow that Gill almost tumbles on the stumps. He gathers himself and stays on his feet only to realise the pain of his injured fingers. He throws away the gloves, shakes his hand vigorously. The physio runs in to attend to him, the captain is now batting with a bandage. India’s injury list keeps getting longer.

Making. Things. Happen.

Ben Stokes gets one to jag back, stay low and KL Rahul is gone for 90.

🇮🇳 1️⃣8️⃣8️⃣-3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/PbPw1CEFn7

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2025

It’s not easy out there. Survival is getting difficult and Stokes, despite his aches and pains, is ready to put his foot on India’s throat. After the ball that flew off the pitch and threw up a puff of dust, another one keeps low. Gill just about keeps it out of the stumps. Stokes is now feeling his glutes, lower back and, of course, his shoulder blade. But he is trying to get a grip on the game and Dawson from the other end is keeping things tight. It’s all working for England.

12:00: India – 193/3 in 76 overs, trailing by 118 runs

Gill and Washington Sundar come up with a plan to negotiate the England bowlers and the dirt-patches on the pitch. So the left-hander Washington takes on Stokes as the channel outside his off-stump is fairly true. The bounce from that part of the pitch is more predictable. It works for a while but rotating strike comes with its own set of problems. Gill refuses a single, there is almost a mix-up between the two.

𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚, #ShubmanGill crafted a heroic century to keep Indian's momentum going! 🔥#ENGvIND 👉 4th TEST, DAY 5 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/m1KUufwZKH pic.twitter.com/kR7qcyNc33

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025

Challenge No.2 awaits India, the new ball is due. At 12.20, Chris Woakes is ready to have another go with the shining cherry. Ironically, Gill, the No.4, for the second time in this innings, is facing Woakes’s first over. Washington almost edges the third ball to slip, just like Jaiswal had done. The Indian section of the crowd cheers wildly as Gill hits Archer’s first ball, a long hop, for four. He’s in his 90s.

Soon Old Trafford stands, the Indian captain raises his bat to reach his 100, kisses his bat and looks to the sky. The celebration is short, there’s a lot to do.

12:30: India – 206/3 in 83 overs, trailing by 105

Archer has settled now, is hitting the right spots and getting swing too. He is constantly testing Gill with in-swingers. Gill is playing this smartly, tracing the ball, moving with it and presenting a dead bat. There is chat among experts that the Dukes ball starts talking after a few overs. Washington is growing confident, he is knocking the ball around. He scores three straight 3s, the scoreboard is ticking.

Jofra Archer gets the BIG wicket of Shubman Gill 👊

India four down!

🇮🇳 2️⃣2️⃣3️⃣-4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/EmmbbQT0JP

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2025

And when it was thought India was recovering and a classic Test was unfolding, Gill has a misjudgement. Expecting that Archer would keep bringing the ball into him, he is foxed by a ball that went straight. He followed the ball, edged it and was caught behind. Across Old Trafford, hope died.

“It is just a matter of time,” Ben Duckett could be heard saying from the stump mike. It sounded true.

1:00 (Lunch) – 223/4 in 89 overs, trailing by 68