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Second Rothesay Test, Edgbaston (day four of five)

India 587 & 427-6 dec: Gill 161, Jadeja 69*; Tongue 2-93

England 407 & 72-3: Pope 24*, Deep 2-36

England need 536 more runs to win

England lost three top-order wickets before the close as India surged towards victory in the second Test after their captain Shubman Gill’s run-fest continued at Edgbaston.

Faced with the choice of batting for a draw or going after a chase of a near-impossible 608, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Joe Root all fell to leave the hosts 72-3 at the end of day four.

Crawley played a wild drive in the second over to be caught for a duck and Duckett hit five boundaries before being bowled by Akash Deep for a 15-ball 25.

The electric Deep, who has thrilled with the new-ball in his first Test in England, then struck the crucial blow by sensationally bowling Root for six.

England had been kept in the field until 90 minutes before the finish as Gill followed his epic 269 in the first innings with a dismissive 161 which allowed India to declare on 427-6.

He is the first player to record scores in excess of 250 and 150 in the same Test while his overall haul of 430 this week is the second-highest in Test history.

England, meanwhile, have an intriguing day ahead. That they do not play for draws has been one of the pillars of their cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

But now, for the first time under this regime, they are faced with a situation where a successful chase is almost certainly out of the question.

They have made 378, 373, 299, 296, 279 in the fourth innings to win under Stokes but the highest chase in Test history is 418.

That leaves the draw as their most likely way of preserving their series lead going to Lord’s next week.

Gill’s declaration came later than it could have – perhaps fearing England’s ability to chase – but the tourists have still left themselves the option of the new ball after tea on day four.

While that weapon allowed Deep to find significant movement late on, when the ball has gone soft batting has looked far easier.

It had looked like Crawley was going to be more circumspect when he played three leaves through the first over, which was a maiden.

In the next, he slashed at a wide ball from Mohammed Siraj and was caught at backward point.

Duckett hit his first two deliveries for four and slashed two more boundaries on the cut. He was well beaten by the ball from Deep, which nipped in to flick the inside edge before rattling the stumps.

If that delivery was good, his to dismiss Root was great.

From wide on the crease, he angled the ball in and found movement away to beat the bat of the Yorkshireman who was turned around in his stance.

Ollie Pope ended the day 24 not out, again looking far more edgy than last week in Leeds when he began the series with a century. Harry Brook, who scored 158 in the first innings, is alongside him on 15 not out.

India’s lead was 244 when play resumed under cloudy skies with the floodlights on. Brydon Carse began with a good spell and, having seen one edge fly through the slips, eventually nicked off Karun Nair for 26.

But that only brought in Gill, who is in the form of his life.

Admittedly England were tired and the situation free of any pressure after he got himself in, but he batted in similarly controlled fashion to his epic 269 in the first innings.

When KL Rahul had his middle stump uprooted by Josh Tongue, Gill was joined by Pant who played extraordinary scoops and cuts with the ball, and his bat, flying to all parts.

Crawley dropped Pant when the left-hander drilled to mid-on on 11 but it may not have mattered. India were already 321 ahead.

On 31 he swung so hard the bat flew from his hand. The same happened on 65 and, while the bat landed at mid-wicket, the ball ended up in the hands of long-off.

Throughout it all, Gill remained serene, adding a further 175 with Jadeja. He hardly offered a chance, reached his third hundred of the tour in 129 deliveries and his 150 by hitting a towering leg-side six.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: “If you want to win the big series against the likes of India at home in five matches and you want to go to Australia, I think it’s impossible to have a mindset that we just win, that’s all we go for. We don’t play for draws.

“A draw for England from this position, it’s almost better than last week’s win because it’s completely against their natural instinct. “

Ex-England bowler Steven Finn: “England have been thoroughly outplayed by India outside of that partnership [between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith] where the wicket did go flat.

One of the first things Kamil Majchrzak did after claiming a spot in the Wimbledon fourth round was jog over to his wife Marta and plant a heartfelt kiss on her lips.

The Polish player credits her with helping him “survive” the darkest period of his life.

Not only had Majchrzak reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time, but the 29-year-old felt it was a redemptive moment having served a 13-month doping ban.

The world number 109, who has always maintained his innocence, missed all of the 2023 season after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

“I’m incredibly happy after what I’ve been through to be back here at Wimbledon and living my dream,” Majchrzak, who returned from suspension at the start of 2024, told BBC Sport.

“My wife has been very strong for me and helped me survive the case and the process.

“She sacrificed a lot – not just during this period because we’ve been together a long time.

Going over to his wife and loved ones came moments after Majchrzak had secured the best win of his career.

His instant reaction to securing a straight-set victory over France’s Arthur Rinderknech was to fall backwards on to the grass – although he had to briefly sit up to check his forehand winner had not been deemed out.

When he climbed to his feet, he produced a euphoric slam-dunk leap and punched the air before shaking hands with Rinderknech.

The scenes were also a response to coming through a part of his life that he previously told BBC Sport felt “pointless”.

Majchrzak failed a doping test in 2022 and was told his urine showed traces of anabolic steroids.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – the independent body set up by the sport’s governing bodies to catch dopers – issued a provisional suspension as per the rules.

At the start of his suspension, Majchrzak had played regularly at the four Grand Slams, represented Poland at the 2020 Olympics and reached a career-high ranking of 75.

Banned substances showed in three subsequent tests and Majchrzak argued a batch of herbal nutritional drinks was contaminated.

The ITIA’s testing of several unopened sachets of the supplement confirmed they explained the adverse findings in his test.

The ITIA agreed Majchrzak did not intentionally take banned substances. But he was found to be ‘strictly liable’ and should have known there is a “significant risk” with supplements.

Having already been provisionally banned for seven months, he decided not to continue challenging the 13-month suspension handed out.

“I’ve definitely changed as a person, I still believe I have some fears and [am] still scared because I don’t want to go through this again.

“The trauma is still with me but I’m dealing well with it.

It has been a long and varied journey back to the top of the game for Majchrzak, who estimates he spent “100,000 or 150,000 euros” (£85,000-£130,000) fighting his case.

Once he had served his suspension, he dipped into savings to travel the world trying to rebuild his career.

Relying on wildcards from sympathetic tournament directors, he was invited to play on the lowest rung of the professional ladder in Tunisia and Egypt, then moved on to Rwanda, China and Taiwan for ATP Challenger events.

Lots of victories meant his ranking quickly improved and the hard yards have eventually led to his first direct entry into a Grand Slam main draw since the 2022 US Open.

With his wife Marta by his side at Wimbledon, Majchrzak says the pair are “following our dreams” together.

On Sunday, he will face 17th seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the SW19 quarter-finals – having never previously won a main-draw match here.

Remarkably, Majchrzak also came into the grass-court season on a seven-match losing streak and then drew 2021 finalist Matteo Berretini in the first round.

“Matteo is one of the best grass-court players in the world, so my expectations were not that high,” Majchrzak said.