In the Dharamsala Test, Shubman Gill grabs a stunner to assist India in drawing first blood

Shubman Gill, one of India’s most skilled fielders, helped the hosts see off Ben Duckett with a spectacular sprinting catch during the first session of play on the first day of the current 5th Test. When India broke the 64-run opening stand between Duckett and Zak Crawley, Gill darted out from extra cover and went over the 30-yard line to make an incredible catch.

On the last delivery of the eighteenth, an astounding thing occurred. Duckett’s off stump was flighted one wide by India’s left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and instead of going with the spin, the southpaw poured the kitchen sink at it.

Duckett was unable to reach the ball’s pitch and make the type of contact he had hoped for. On the other side, the ball grabbed the toe end of his bat and blew up in the air. Gill realized quickly that he was in business, and after running over twenty yards, he charged full speed to make an incredible catch.

In the meantime, Team India has to win the Dharamsala Test in order to maintain their top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC 2023–25) points standings. With a PCT (points percentage system) of 64.58, India is now atop the standings. To maintain their position, they must win at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.

In the event that India wins, the outcome of the second Test between Australia and New Zealand will not affect India’s ranking in the points table.

The playing eleven for India:

Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah are the players: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill.

England’s lineup for play:

Ben Foakes (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson, and Zak Crawley