One of India's most agile fielders, Shubman Gill grabbed a stunning running catch in the first session of play on day one of the ongoing 5th Test to help the hosts see the back of Ben Duckett. Gill scurried back from extra cover and ran beyond the 30-yard circle to take a breathtaking catch as India broke the 64-run opening stand between Duckett and Zak Crawley.
The jaw-dropping incident unfolded on the last delivery of the 18th over. India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav flighted one wide of Duckett's off stump and the southpaw threw the kitchen sink at it in an attempt to dispatch it over the leg side rather than going with the spin.
Duckett failed to get to the pitch of the ball and couldn't make the kind of contact he wished for. The ball took the toe-end of his bat and ballooned in the air on the off side. Gill was quick to realise that he was in business and sprinted full-fledged to grab an outstanding catch after covering almost 20 yards.
Watch the video of Shubman Gill's catch:
Meanwhile, a win in the Dharamsala Test is extremely crucial for Team India to consolidate their top position on the World Test Championship (WTC 2023-25) points table. India are occupying the top spot with a PCT (Points Percentage System) of 64.58 and need to emerge victorious at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium to hold onto the top spot.
A win for India will make the result of the 2nd Test between Australia and New Zealand irrelevant in terms of the points table changes as the No. 1 spot will remain with India.
India's playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
England's playing XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson
