Shubman Gill Explains Why India Rejected Stokes’ Offer to draw Manchester test

Indian captain Shubman Gill praised his team’s strong fightback in the drawn Manchester Test against England. After trailing in the first innings, India’s middle order stepped up with centuries from Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, helping the team secure a safe finish on a challenging final day pitch.

India Fights Back Strong After England’s Huge First Innings

In the Test match at Old Trafford, India scored 358 in their first innings. England then came back with a big score of 669, with Joe Root (150) and Ben Stokes (141) both hitting centuries. This gave England a huge lead of 311 runs.

India was in a tough spot, but Gill (106), Jadeja (97), Washington Sundar (94), and KL Rahul (90) played well and scored 425/4. The match ended in a draw at the end of Day 5.

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Why Shubman Gill Said No to Ben Stokes’ Offer to End the Game Early

During the Test match, England’s captain, Ben Stokes, suggested calling it quits early since a draw looked pretty certain. But India declined.

“We thought they (Jadeja and Sundar) batted brilliantly, they were in their 90s, we thought they deserved a century there,” Shubman Gill said during the post-match presentation.

This choice shows that India values celebrating individual achievements. It also shows how important that comeback was, especially after England had been playing so well.

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“Under Extraordinary Pressure” – Gill on the Test Challenge

Shubman Gill spoke about the team’s ability to cope with pressure and specialises in batting for long periods and batting smart, especially in the last two days, where they would have to bat on a spoiling wicket.

“I am so pleased with the batting effort. The last couple of days we were under extraordinary pressure,” Shubman Gill said.

“Day 5 wicket, something is going on, every ball is we have to survive is an event.”

Gill also spoke about taking the pitch out of the equation and keeping a disciplined mindset for survival.

The First Innings Regret: “Set Batters Didn’t Go Deep”

Looking back on that first innings, Gill said that a few of the Indian batters had gotten starts but then failed to turn them into significant scores, which would have helped them avoid the situation that India found itself in.

“A lot of our batters did get set. It is important on these wickets for set batters to go deep. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

He did say he was pleased with how the team took their learnings from the first innings and applied them in the second.

Series Update: England Still Ahead, 2-1! All Eyes on The Oval**

After a draw in Manchester, England is still in the lead, 2-1, in the five-match series. Now, all the focus is on The Oval in London, where the fifth and final Test kicks off on July 31.

India’s going to be fighting hard to tie up the series and finish their tour strong. On the other hand, England will be pushing for a big home series victory.

Even though the Manchester Test ended in a draw, it felt like a victory for India in some ways. They had three players score centuries! Plus, there was that great moment of sportsmanship when they turned down an early finish to keep the team’s spirits up. It looks like Shubman Gill is growing as a leader, and the team seems prepared for the final match at The Oval.