Manjrekar hails Gill-KL's ability to "dig deep, bat with restraint" on 4th day of Manchester Test

Manchester [UK], July 27 (ANI): Following a gripping day four of the Manchester Test, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed KL Rahul and Shubman Gill for their unbeaten 174-run partnership, lauding their ability to "dig deep and bat with restraint".

He also outlined some challenges for the pair on the final day, adding that beyond this pair, he is "not too hopeful".

After Team India was down and out at 0/2, conceding a 311-run first innings lead, Gill and Rahul led their side out of massive trouble, offering fans two sessions worth of old-school, restraint-filled Test cricket. Both were chanceless for the most part, piercing through the gaps for boundaries well. Heading to the final day, the onus lies on this pair to help India overcome the deficit and save the Test series.

Speaking on the 'Match Centre Live', Manjrekar highlighted that both Gill and KL are IPL stars and could have taken down Liam Dawson, the spin-bowling all-rounder, for three sixes if they needed.

"But to curb that instinct and do the exact opposite -- to dig deep and bat with such restraint -- is what I have admired throughout this series. I did wonder whether they had the mental reserve for it, especially KL Rahul, who has scored runs in virtually every innings. And yet, he has still been able to find that resolve to just bat for time. It has been incredible. Whatever the result on Day 5, hats off to the approach these young Indian batters have shown. Shubman Gill, for example, his strike rate was 67 before tea and dropped to 29 post-tea. That tells a great story. Regardless of the outcome, this is something India should be really proud of," he added.

Also, former England batter Jonathan Trott said that Gill's knock, where he started off positively by scoring at a good tick before controlling himself in the final session and showcasing a tight defence, the Indian skipper had shown his "serious mental strength".

"He can score quickly when needed, but more importantly, he has the mindset to bat for time and play the situation. When he came out in the second innings -- after the chaos of that first over -- we saw Shubman Gill, the batter. Maybe that moment helped clear his head. He realised he had to bat time and focus solely on getting his country, his team, into a position to save this game," he added.

Manjrekar highlighted that on the final day, there are two important phases of the game for India, the first one being the first 30 minutes of the game, as both set batters will be aiming to get back their rhythm and when the new ball will be available after 17 overs.

"That will be a significant challenge. I still believe this partnership has to do the job for India. Beyond this pair, I wouldn't be too hopeful," he concluded.

Earlier in the fourth Day of the Test match, India recovered after initial shocks in their second innings of the fourth Test, but the team is still in deep waters with England scoring a massive 669 in their first innings and getting an overall lead of 311 over the visitors, who had made 358 runs in the second innings.

Big centuries from Joe Root and skipper Ben Stokes and some extra runs from tailenders proved to be a serious headache for India.

The Indian second innings began on a shocking note with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarshan going back to the pavilion on a duck. KL Rahul and Captain Shubman Gill steadied India's innings with a patient and stellar stand of 174 runs.

India finished Day 4 on 174/2 and are now 137 runs behind England. If the Indian team can salvage the match on the fifth and final day on Sunday, it will be an achievement in itself.

England went wicketless in the final session as Indian batters added 126 runs to their tally, with KL Rahul 87* and Shubman Gill 78* unbeaten on the crease. India started the third session at 86/2 with Gill, who looked in fine touch, notched up his eighth Test fifty and fourth against England off 77 deliveries. (ANI)

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