Rohit and Gill centuries lay the base for India’s show of dominance

India took the scenic route to a match-dominating position in the Dharamsala Test, batting throughout the second day to amass a lead of 255 over England with two wickets still standing. There were hundreds for Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, fifties for Sarfaraz Khan and the debutant Devdutt Padikkal, as the India top order all contributed to post an imposing total in the shadow of the Dhauladhars.

Even some Ben Stokes magic with the ball could not turn the tide of England’s fortunes. Stokes claimed the wicket of Rohit with his first delivery of the series, having not bowled competitively since the second Test of last year’s Ashes. Rohit’s off stump was hit by a ball with a sharp seam as he resumed his innings following the lunch break, resulting in a 171-run stand for the second wicket and adding to the list of what could have beens for England this tour.

With Stokes back to fulfill his allrounder status after a gap of 251 days, England’s attack plugged away manfully in placid conditions. A few shabby moments on the field let them down, with Stokes tumbling Sarfaraz on his follow through after a delivery that was later ruled a no-ball.

Despite still suffering from the effects of a stomach bug which hampered his involvement in the build- up, Shoaib Bashir once again impressed with his durability and cutting edge. His 44-over stint matched the first innings in Ranchi for his longest in first-class cricket, and had Zak Crawley not missed a sharp chance at leg slip when Rohit was on 68, Bashir might have been able celebrate a second five-for in only his third Test. Then, in Bashir’s final over of the day, Stokes put down Kuldeep Yadav in the slips as India’s ninth-wicket pair successfully navigated a way to the close.

After a serene morning session for India in which they had added 129 without loss, Rohit’s dismissal was followed by Gill having his off stump flattened, James Anderson bagging wicket No. 699 in Tests and giving England something to rally around. The lead at that stage was 61, but any sense of an opportunity for England was scotched by another bright partnership between two batters for the future.

Padikkal, at No. 4, initially found the boundary with regularity while Sarfaraz bedded in. Having moved watchfully to 9 off 30 balls, Sarfaraz kicked up through the gears with a flurry of attacking shots to raises his third Test half-century. Mark Wood was dispatched into the crowd before Sarfaraz took on Tom Hartley with the second new ball as India extended their lead beyond 150 at tea.

England again struck straight after the interval, Bashir having Sarfaraz caught at slip attempting to cut the first ball back. Padikkal nonchalantly lofted the England offspinner for six over long-on to bring up his maiden fifty but he, too, could not go on as Bashir caught him on the crease with one that turned to hit the top of off stump. Dhruv Jurel holed out to give Bashir his fourth and Hartley then struck twice in the following over, Ravindra Jadeja pinned lbw before R Ashwin played around one that went on with the arm.

At that point, the day’s outline was as visible as the hills behind it, with India soaring into the ascendency without much effort. The overnight pair recorded their second hundreds in the series, with Rohit scoring his 12th overall and Gill recording his fourth Tests hundreds, as the home team consolidated their hold on the match.

Rohit twice lofted Bashir back over his head in the third over of the morning, before Gill charged Anderson to hit him disdainfully for six, as they added 50 to the score within the first ten overs of play. Gill’s fifty came up from 64 balls as he closed the gap on his captain, who batted on unruffled after seeing an inside edge off Bashir evade Crawley. India’s second consecutive hundred partnership was raised when Rohit flat-batted Wood through extra cover and they moved past England’s total of 218 shortly thereafter, Gill swinging Bashir down the ground for another of his five sixes.

Rohit achieved his century first by flicking Hartley through his leg side as lunch approached. Two balls later, Gill slog-swept Bashir for four to bring up three figures, too. Stokes had refuted speculation in the lead-up that he could assist in balancing the attack in lighter, more seam-friendly conditions, but he immediately caused a “Who writes your scripts?” incident after joining Anderson in tandem at the start of afternoon session.

As England briefly rallied, Anderson delivered a retaliatory shot through the gate on Gill and Padikkal twice missed wide of the slips. A growing sense of authority replaced the false shots as a 97-run stand between Padikkal & Sarfaraz again snuffed out Stokes and Co.. Both batters must have contemplated the opportunity for a first Test hundred, only for Bashir to inspire another belated fightback. England were already faced with a mountain to climb after falling down a gorge with the bat.

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