India captain Shubman Gill endured a painful moment on Day 5 of the fourth Test against England, taking a nasty blow to the helmet from a vicious Ben Stokes delivery on Sunday at Old Trafford, Manchester. The incident occurred in the 73rd over of India’s second innings at a tense moment when India were steadily rebuilding after early losses.
On a pitch showing sharp variable bounce, Stokes bowled a short-of-length ball that kicked up violently, smashing into Gill’s glove and then ricocheting onto the side of his helmet.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Watch:The delivery struck the grille of the helmet after hitting Gill’s index finger, and for a moment, it looked like it might deflect onto the stumps. A wincing Gill, clearly in pain, managed to react quickly to prevent that. Immediately after the impact, he walked away from the crease and flung his bat in visible discomfort. The Indian physio rushed out for concussion and hand checks, while Stokes himself checked on the Indian skipper with concern.Thankfully, after treatment, Gill resumed batting and continued to anchor the innings alongside Washington Sundar.
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At the time of the incident, Gill was batting on 90 and had put up a gritty stand after KL Rahul’s earlier dismissal for 90. The two had added a crucial 174-run partnership on Day 4 to keep India in the hunt.Despite early setbacks with the dismissals of Jaiswal and Sudharsan in the first over of the innings, India fought back. Now, at 193/3 and trailing by 118 runs, the match remains delicately poised. England’s commanding first-innings total of 669, powered by Stokes’s 141, had placed the visitors under pressure, but India’s resilience, led by Gill’s fighting knock, is keeping the contest alive.
