IND versus ENG: India’s top five batters record fifties, matching an uncommon milestone after 14 years.
Suditi Raje India defeated England in their first innings on Friday in Dharamsala . Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill turned their fifties into outstanding hundreds, and Sarfaraz Khan and the uncapped Devdutt Padikkal hammered fast fifties.
8 March 2024, New Delhi
On Day 2 of the Dharamsala Test against England, India proceeded to build on their first-inning total. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill both scored 100 in the first session, and youngsters Sarfaraz Khan and Devudutt Padikkal pushed India’s total beyond 400.
After bowling out the visitors for 218 on Day 1, Yashasvi Jaiswal resumed his red-hot form on Thursday, hitting 57 off just 58 balls to give India control of the game. Rohit and Shubaman then extended India’s lead with superb fifties.
Padikall scored 65 on his Test debut and completed his fifty with a six. India achieved a remarkable milestone when Padikkal scored 50 runs. It is the first occasion in red-ball cricket history that India’s top five hitters have scored 50 or more runs in a Test innings against England.
The last time India’s top five scored 50 runs or more against Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium was in December 2009. Only four times in Test cricket history have the top five Indian batsmen achieved this uncommon feat, and each time they faced different opponents.