New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): As the team bus reaches Manchester for the fourth Test against England, a Shubman Gill-led Team India will be aiming to breach another fortress and secure their first-ever win at Old Trafford.
The series is 2-1 in favour of England, with the fourth Test of the series set to start on July 23. After a loss at Headingley, Team India breached the Birmingham fortress for the first time ever, with Gill’s historic double ton and Akash Deep’s ten-fer sealing them a series-leveling 336-run win. After a narrow loss at Lord’s, India will have to rewrite history books all over again to level the series.
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Out of nine tests played at Old Trafford, India has lost four, and five have ended in a draw. In their previous Test at the venue back in 2014, India lost by an innings and 54 runs, failing to outscore England’s first innings total of 367 across both their innings, managing just 152 and 161 runs.
However, over the last seven years or so, Team India has made a habit out of knocking down opponents at territories once never conquered. Turbo-charged by ex-captain Virat Kohli’s aggression or sheer team chemistry and camaraderie under the calmer heads of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, India has had plenty of historical Test wins over the last few years.
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In 2018, it was a century from Cheteshwar Pujara, a patient 82 by Virat, and a nine-wicket haul by Jasprit Bumrah that powered India to their first win at Melbourne Cricket Ground after 37 years, with the Indian pace attack pocketing a solid Aussie unit for 261 runs while defending 399 runs. It was back in 1981 when a century by Gundappa Vishwanath and a five-wicket haul by Kapil Dev had helped bring down Aussies at MCG for the second time, after the first-ever win in 1977.
Perhaps the most memorable was when the Indian tricoloir was waved and paraded around proudly by what was essentially an ‘Indian C team’ at Brisbane. The exuberance and audaciousness of young Gill (91) and Pant (89*) contrasted with the determination of Pujara (56), who braved several body blows to make sure India chased down 328 runs to win the series 2-1, marking their second-successive series win in Australia. An all new pace battery of Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Navdeep Saini also kept Aussies on their toes and unsettled. ‘Toota hai Gabba ka ghamand,’ uttered by ex-cricketer Vivek Razdaan, still echoes in the ears of millions and induces goosebumps. It was Ajinkya Rahane who led Team India to this inspirational win, battling inexperience, injuries, racial abuse, and, of course, the hard-hitting absence of Virat after the first Test.
In 2021 under Virat, 50 years after spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar had run riot on an English lineup with a six-wicket haul, the Indian unit decided to deliver a sequel, with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, and Thakur at the thick of things while defending 368 runs, bundling England out for 210 runs despite a century partnership for the first wicket. Rohit was the ‘Player of the Match’ for his 127, his only overseas Test ton, and his crown jewel in whites.
During the same year, under Virat, India captured their first-ever Test win at Centurion in their third try. KL Rahul’s classy 123 and the efforts of the pace trio of Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Siraj to bundle out SA for 191 while defending 305 runs gave Team India an early lead in the three-match series. But a series win, sadly, was not meant to be in what was Virat’s final assignment as Test captain.
Just last year, India made sure that the two-match series against South Africa ended in a draw, securing their first-ever win at Cape Town after six unsuccessful attempts in 31 years. Siraj single-handedly crushed the Proteas in the first innings, taking six wickets and bundling them out for 55, and the end result was a successful chase of 79 runs. This win came under Rohit, his solitary win outside Asia.
Coming to their latest fortress breach, after 58 years, India finally had a ‘W’ attached to their name at Birmingham’s Edgbaston stadium. Gill’s marathon knocks of 269 and 161, which tore into batting record books like nothing before, and Akash Deep’s ten-wicket haul, the best-ever figures by an Indian in England, gave India a 336-run win, skittling out England for 271 runs after setting them 608 to win. The first signs of Gill-era promise were visible before the Indians, and it all made for a great cricket viewing experience.
Will another door be knocked down at Manchester and the series get leveled? (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia’s leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)
