India vs Australia 4th Test Day 3: Gill notches up fine fifty, Rohit squanders opportunity in morning session

At the end of the first session, the hosts reached 129/1 in 37 overs with Shubman Gill (batting on 65*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (22* off 46 balls). India, thus, claimed this session pie even as they trailed by 351 runs.

Rohit Sharma score in 1st innings of Ahmedabad Test vs Australia

The hosts also lost the wicket of their skipper Rohit Sharma, who was looking in fine touch with the bat. The right-handed batter was doing everything right before having a soft dismissal off Matthew Kuhnemann.

IND vs AUS 4th Test, Day 2: Khawaja powers Australia to 480, Ashwin takes six as hosts trail by 444

Rohit was looking poised for a big score on the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch, which is still conducive for batting, but an error in shot selection cost the Mumbaikar as he was caught at short-cover by an alert Marnus Labuschagne. India were 74 in 21 overs at the time of their skipper’s departure.

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His opening partner Gill ended up notching up his fifth Test half-century and kept the scoreboard ticking with good running between the wickets. After the fall of Rohit, Gill shared an unbeaten stand of 55 with Pujara.

Gill – who was looking in good touch before the close of play on day two – looked a little jittery against spinners, especially Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner was getting a good purchase from the track as it started aiding the spinners on day three. But the talented right-handed batter never allowed left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc to settle with his counter-attacking knock.

With Starc leaking runs from one end, captain Steve Smith had to remove the senior pacer from the attack and introduce Kuhnemann from the other end. The left-arm spinner provided a much-needed breakthrough in his fifth over and sent Rohit back.

Local boy Pujara then joined Gill in the middle and the duo stitched a crucial fifty-plus partnership for the second wicket. While Gill kept attacking the loose delivery from the visitors, Pujara kept timing the ball well and dealt in ones and twos.

Gill slams fifth Test fifty

The Punjab batter – who was ineffective in the third Test – converted the start into a fine fifty. The 23-year-old played a classical drive off Starc to get to his fifth half-century off 90 deliveries. Gill – who remained unbeaten on 65 off 119 balls with five fours and a six in the knock – mixed aggression with caution to construct his innings well.

He will now have to convert the start into a big knock and help his team level the massive lead taken by the tourists, who posted a massive 480 in the first innings riding upon centuries from Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja.