DHARAMSHALA, MARCH 8
Centuries from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill headlined a commanding batting display from India on Friday as it gained complete control of the fifth test against England on the second day.
Gill top scored with 110 runs while Sharma added 103 as the duo paved the way for India's first innings' total of 473-8 in 120 overs.
Devdutt Padikkal made a half century on his debut as he contributed 65 runs. Sarfaraz Khan also scored 56 runs as India took a 255-run lead over England's 218.
India reached 264-1 at lunch with Sharma and Gill completing their centuries in the morning session, after the hosts were 135-1 overnight.
Sharma reached his 13th test hundred off 154 balls, equaling Sunil Gavaskar's record of four hundreds against England – the most by an Indian opener.
Gill, at the other end, hit six sixes as he reached his fourth test hundred off 137 balls.
Post lunch, the duo was able to add only 11 runs when England struck twice.
Ben Stokes (1-17) bowled for the first time since his knee surgery and castled Sharma with his first delivery. Overall, Sharma faced 162 balls and hit 13 fours as well as three sixes.
James Anderson bowled Gill in the very next over as India was suddenly down to 279-3. Gill hit 12 fours and five sixes in all, putting on 171 runs with Sharma for the second wicket.
It brought young guns Padikkal and Khan together, and they added 97 runs for the fourth wicket.
Khan played another fluent knock as he scored a third half-century in as many tests, reaching 50 off only 55 balls, as India was 376-3 at tea.
After the break, Padikkal reached his 50 off 83 balls in his maiden test outing. He hit a flurry of boundaries to get going – 10 fours and a six in all before he was bowled off Shoaib Bashir.
In between, Khan was out first ball after tea, caught at slip off Bashir. The off spinner also accounted for Dhruv Jurel (15), who was caught at long on.
Tom Hartley trapped Ravindra Jadeja lbw for 15 and then bowled Ravichandran Ashwin for a five-ball duck as India lost four wickets for 25 runs.
Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah then added 45 runs for the unbeaten ninth wicket to deny England in the final hour of play.
At stumps, Yadav was unbeaten on 27, while Bumrah scored 19 not out, rounding up India's day in the mountains.
India has an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. It won the second test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs, the third test in Rajkot by 434 runs and the fourth test in Ranchi by five wickets to capture the series.
England won the first test in Hyderabad by 28 runs.
