India's Shubman Gill being greeted by Rohit Sharma after he hit century during the second day of the fifth Test cricket match between India and England, in Dharamsala, Friday on March 8, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
The telltale sign of a side's low morale is mirrored in its sloppy fielding. As the Indian batters piled misery on England, exposing the gulf in quality of the two spin attacks on a good surface to bat, the visitors' work on the field became a casualty.
There were numerous misfields and lack of coordination while chasing the ball bordered on the comic. Yes, they did manage to prise out five wickets in the final session with spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley claiming all of them, but the damage has been done. Perhaps beyond repair.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's second hundreds of the series headlined India's strong reply on the second day of the final Test as the hosts posted their fourth 400-plus total of the rubber on Friday. That it was the first instance of all top five Indian batters scoring at least a fifty against England in an innings reflected the home team's domination on the day.
That Ben Stokes, after threatening to bowl since the third Test, finally bowled in a Test after last year's Ashes was an indicator of England's desperation. That only two overs of pace were bowled after summoning the new ball spoke of their resources in that department.
That it was going to be another torrid day for England was apparent after India finished day one on 135/1 having packed off the tourists for a modest 218 with India's spinners claiming all the wickets.
The English tweakers, however, couldn't replicate the efforts of the home spinners with Rohit (103, 162, 13x4, 3x6) and Gill (110, 150b, 12x4, 5x6) treating them with little respect.
The duo raised 174 runs (244 balls) in an entertaining stand for the second wicket that was the cornerstone of India's 473/8, the highest total of the series.
Watching any one of Rohit and Gill in full flow is a sight for sore eyes. But both of them batting together? It's a celestial experience. They were elegant, effortless and easy on the eye.
Their strokes packed as much punch as panache, their innings carried as much flourish as finesse. It was style matching substance. They systematically dismantled English bowlers without taking undue risks. And it needed two equally beautiful deliveries to end their stays.
Debutant Devdutt Padikkal left an immediate impression with an elegant, even if a bit edgy at the start, 65 (103b, 8x4, 1x6) but Sarfaraz Khan (56) again fell to a moment of indiscretion while in sight of a bigger knock against a demoralised attack.
But what exasperated England more was the unconquered 45-run stand for the ninth wicket between Jasprit Bumrah (19 n.o.) and Kuleep Yadav (27 n.o.) who extended India's lead to 255. It was that kind of a day for England who were pushed back every time they showed signs of a fightback.
Stokes provided the first spark with a beauty to dismiss Rohit that ended a big partnership at the start of middle session. Veteran James Anderson doubled their joy soon after with an incoming screamer that left Gill's stumps in tatters.
With two new batters in the middle, including a debutant, England may have seen a ray of hope but Padikkal, who brought up his fifty with a six off Bashir, and Sarfaraz shut the escape route, sharing 97 runs between them.
There was a mini collapse after the two youngsters were dismissed. Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel and R Ashwin fell in the space of a run as England looked like restricting India's lead to fewer than 200. But Bumrah and Kuldeep appeared to be in no mood to bowl on the day, occupying the crease till stumps were drawn while leaving England a frustrated lot.