ENG vs IND: 5 talking points from India’s campaign on Day 4 of the Headingley Test

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant's centuries propelled India to a commanding position on Day 4 of the Headingley Test. Despite a lower-order collapse, India set England a challenging target of 371, leaving the hosts needing 350 runs on the final day.

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Highlights of India's performance on Day 4 of first Test

Day 4 of the first Test between England and India was quite eventful as the centurions KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant dominated the proceedings before the hosts assumed their second innings batting at Headingley in Leeds on Monday, June 23.

India set a target of 371 for England to chase after being bundled out for 364. At the close of play, England posted a total of 21/0 in six overs, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batting on 12 and 9 and needing 350 to win on the final day of the Test series opener. India needed 10 wickets to clinch their first win against England in 23 years at Headingley.

On this note, let’s take a look at 5 key takeaways from India’s outing on Day 4 of the first Test.

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1. Shubman Gill falls early in the morning session

Team India resumed their second innings batting at 90/2, with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill batting on 47 and 6, with a 96-run lead. After losing Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) and Sai Sudharsan (30) on Day 3, Rahul and Gill were hoping to form a good partnership not only to steady India’s ship but also to extend the visitors’ lead. However, India received an early setback in the morning session with the dismissal of Gill for 8.

Shubman Gill showed a lot of intent in the first innings, scoring 147 off 227 balls, but in the second innings, he struggled to replicate his fluency. Gill faced an outside off delivery by Brydon Carse, who hit the deck and nipped in back. The Indian skipper was looking to cut the ball, but got a thick inside edge before rattling his stumps.

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2. KL Rahul's gritty century

After being dismissed for 42 in the first innings, KL Rahul bounced back to score his eighth overseas Test century in the second innings. The 33-year-old stepped up for the visitors with a resolute and gritty knock of 137 off 247 balls while forming a crucial 195-run stand for the fourth wicket with Rishabh Pant.

India’s senior-most batter in the line-up anchored India’s innings with a composed century. Interestingly, Rahul received a lifeline after Harry Brook dropped his catch at gully off Josh Tongue’s delivery in the 38th over, and he made the most out of it by converting the blunder by the visitors into a match-defining century. His knock and the partnership with Pant gave India a commanding lead in the second innings.

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3. Rishabh Pant continues his masterclass performance

Rishabh Pant had once again lit up Headingley with yet another masterclass performance in the first Test. After scoring a century in the first innings (134), Team India's vice-captain came up with another scintillating century in the second innings. Pant scored a brilliant knock of 118 off 140 balls, an innings mixed with aggression, maturity, and calculated counter-attacking, steering India out of early trouble and putting the pressure back on England bowlers.

With two centuries in a Test, Rishabh Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter and the second after former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower to score a century in both innings of a Test match. Additionally, Pant is the third wicketkeeper-batter after Matt Prior and Alec Stewart to score four Test centuries in England.

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4. Lower-order collapse continues

Team India’s lower order was triggered into a collapse by England's bowling attack. The visitors were in a commanding post with a total of 333/5 after KL Rahul’s dismissal. However, they were bundled out for 364, losing the remaining five wickets in just 31 runs. Karun Nair (20) and Ravindra Jadeja (25*) managed to score, while Shardul Thakur (4), Mohammed Siraj (0), Jasprit Bumrah (0), and Prasidh Krishna (0) were dismissed for single-digit scores.

A similar batting collapse was witnessed in the first innings, where India were at 430/4, but eventually bowled out for 471, losing six wickets in 41 runs. This underlines India’s persistent struggles to capitalize on the strong foundation laid out by the top-order batters and finish innings strongly.

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5. Indian bowlers put England under control

England assumed their second innings batting with a 371-run target to chase. However, Indian bowlers maintained a stranglehold with disciplined bowling as the visitors posted a total of 21/0 in six overs. Jasprit Bumrah (0/9) led the bowling attack with consistent pressure, while Mohammed Siraj (0/9) and Ravindra Jadeja (0/3) kept things at the other end.

Despite not taking a wicket, Indian bowlers controlled England’s scoring rate and created pressure heading into the final day, keeping the visitors firmly in command in the Headingley Test.