To say that the fourth day of the Edgbaston test belonged to India would be an underestimation. Visitors dominated and overcame the basball England – probably on their own game – when they accumulated on running on a flat deck in Birmingham, where the weather was kind.
We saw everything happening on Saturday, right from Rishabh Pant and leave the ball – and his bat – years in the air (twice) to show SHUBMAN GILL as a dough and prove critics badly. On Indian credit, they ensured to keep up with a degree of scoring. Gill, who played subdued shifts until lunch, changed the gear and ended up with 161 escapes of 162 balls.
The fans eagerly saw what kind of goal would be published by India. More than they wanted to look into what the mansmen could produce on this flat deck. But waiting for the statement continued and on. Initially, the target 500 seemed fine, but then it was still rising. Came 550 and Gill got to record hundreds. Certainly the call would come now, right? No. The cameras focused on Sirajs and the pitchners who were still on their sweatshirts and relaxed.
ENG VS India. Test day 4 Updates
Gill continued on the onslaught and everyone thought his goal would signal a statement. No. Waiting continued, and we even saw Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar came before Gill decided to be the time for pitch.
This decision caused a lot of frustration and confusion among fans and scientists. The biggest problem of everyone in mind was the weather forecast for five days. Although we were treated with a cloudy and dark sky in four days, there was no interruption of the rain.
Everything that could change on Sunday with rain predictions and is expected to disrupt the proceedings.
So, Did India leave it a little late with her challenge to statement?
History is not in favor of India
If you ask Morne Morkel, who came at a press conference after the fourth day, India decided to wait correctly with the statement. He felt that the goal was still good for launching and that they wanted to have almost 20 breaks in England.
“We talked about it a lot about it. But I think we’re seeing it is still a good goal. Even our boys fired quite comfortably towards the back end at the age of 4 or 5 years old. With the extra day, I think the weather, you can’t really control it.
“So yeah, tomorrow morning the first hour will be essential. This morning we saw that if you get the ball in the right area, there was a little help and yeah, we have to get on money tomorrow.”
The problem, however, is that history does not give India in terms of 600 and plus goals. This is only for the second time India set the goal of more than 600 tests – the first is in 2009. At that time, India was left only two goals from victory, as New Zealand held.
While England has always said that they will play to win – this is a basball path – even the worst fans will agree that this is a target that can be too far out of reach. The highest successful persecution in tests remains 418 and there is a reason why this record has been uninterrupted for 22 years.
Was it an ego or the fear of a basball?
Now we all know what happened in the last two tests between England and India in England. Visitors thought they created challenging sums – just to blow them off. One has to ask if this fear this time suppressed India.
Morkel said at a press conference that he was not afraid and that any team was chasing 500 Plus on the last day deserves to win a match. But in this case, it was found that India was a little eager to ensure that the game was fully out of England.
Or was it just an ego trip to the Indian team Cautam Gambhir-get the glove down to England and dare to chase them with their basball mantra? Marcus Trescothick, talking on the fourth day, told the media that England was not stupid enough to chase anything and everything and to be in danger.
If this is the case, India may be on some problems on five day. Yes, maybe they lost England’s feathers with three goals. But with the weather forecast, it is a bit of Iffy, and some of the English players who are still in the competition will hope that their call on the fourth day will not show costly-and does not make a gold chance to ensure its first test victory in Edgbaston.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
6 July 2025
