India in Command as KL Rahul Hits Gritty Century, Rishabh Pant Unleashes Mayhem on Day 4
Headingley, June 23, 2025 – Day 4 of the India vs England Test witnessed a masterclass in contrasting batting styles. KL Rahul brought up a composed and technically sound century, holding the innings together with his fourth Test ton at Headingley, while Rishabh Pant provided fireworks from the other end with a blistering 73*, propelling India into a dominant position.
Resuming the day cautiously, India focused on steady accumulation. Despite losing Shubman Gill before lunch, Rahul remained unmoved, anchoring one end with patience and class. Lunch saw India at 63 for 1 in the session, with a 159-run lead—steady but unspectacular progress.
Post-lunch, the tempo shifted dramatically. Rishabh Pant, initially edgy with edges flying through a sparsely populated slip cordon, shifted gears. Two powerful sixes down the ground off spinner Shoaib Bashir and a thumping pull off Carse ignited the innings. His half-century came off a tucked single, not a classic innings, but crucial for India’s charge.
The Rahul-Pant partnership frustrated England further, with the lead ballooning to 240 by evening. Rahul’s century was marked by elegance and control, his celebration a quiet acknowledgement of his rising stature as India’s senior batter.
England, meanwhile, missed opportunities—most notably a sharp chance parried by Ben Stokes—and paid the price for defensive field placements. With momentum clearly with India, Day 5 promises a gripping finale unless the weather intervenes.
