The mighty Dhauladhars kept the cameramen and photographers very busy on the second day of the fifth India-England Test. No clouds were spotted in the vicinity, the sun was out and the setting was absolutely breathtaking. Not that the days preceding the Test were any inferior, but Friday was magical. The rays of the sun were like a fresh coat of lustre on the white snow-capped mountains and it was impossible to keep eyes off the view.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 2 Live
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the unbeaten overnight pair, were out in the middle but the spectators were busy capturing their “I was here” moment. In just the third over of the day’s play, Rohit provided a distraction when he launched Shoaib Bashir into the stands and followed it up with a boundary. Loud cheers were next but the phones, with the camera app on, still remained in the hands of most and four dot deliveries gave the fans another opportunity to capture the perfect frame.
The next over, it was Shubman’s turn to serve as a distraction when he danced down the track and lofted James Anderson straight for a beautiful six – arguably the shot of the series. Everything in that shot – from the footwork to contact and follow-through – was smooth as butter and was enough to keep all eyes glued to the action. The over saw him hit his trademark cut shot and after two big overs, India’s day was well and truly underway.
Both Rohit and Shubman looked promising on the opening day and resumed their innings in a similar fashion. They were competing with the natural landscape for attention and the stroke play on exhibition during their 171-run stand was all class. It wasn’t the biggest partnership of the series but clearly, the most watchable one. The surface of the strip, which was suitable for batting, and the conditions above allowed fluent strokeplay and both batters kept the photographers busy, one shot at a time.
Shubman looked very assured in his footwork vs spin while Rohit continued to smother any turn whatsoever with his tight approach. Together, the two put India in a position of complete control and added runs at a brisk pace to frustrate England in the morning session. There were some close moments but by and large, it was a partnership of complete control and domination.
Anything short was cut or pulled, tossed up was launched into the stands and the fuller ones angled into the pads were flicked handsomely to the ropes. There were as many as 17 boundaries and 8 sixes hit during the partnership but the shot of the day for the photographers could well have been the moment when Shubman arched his back at the very last moment to leave a nasty Mark Wood bouncer. He was batting from the end which had the majestic mountains in the backdrop and a timely click could well have been a frame for the ages.
There are fluent stands and then there are good-looking fluent stands. The Rohit-Shubman partnership certainly falls in the good-looking category. The two had scored hundreds earlier in the series too but they came in comparatively tougher conditions, and the match situation didn’t really allow them to express themselves as they did today.
No help for bowlers in the air or off the surface made their job easier as they enthralled a decent turnout. The DJ ensured to keep the spectators engaged with his mix of English and Hindi songs and the chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and the sound of the Barmy Army trumpet made it a very entertaining day of cricket.
Just around the Lunch interval, the phones were out again and the photographers were adjusting their frames as both Rohit and Shubman were in their 90s. Who gets to the magical number first was the popular discussion in the stands but it was interrupted when Rohit got a single to score his second hundred of the series. There were no fancy celebrations and just a gentle raise of the bat from the skipper. The visuals for the perfect Instagram reels were recorded and the camera stayed on record mode as Gill reached the three-figure mark in the very next over.
The youngster’s celebration was more reel-friendly as he completed the bow and celebrated his second ton of the series with the captain. Both fell in quick succession after the Lunch break but not before serving a visual treat. The thousands of spectators definitely got their money’s worth with frames where the majestic Dhauladhars didn’t compete with the players for attention but enhanced their beauty.
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