NEWS
Follow UsYoung opener Shubman Gill feels Devon Conway’s wicket late in the third day would give India some advantage going into the fourth day of the World Test Championship final in Southampton. The 21-year-old said India could have picked up a couple more wickets if the umpires wouldn't have called off play due to bad light.
India could add only 71 runs to their overnight score of 146/3 and were bundled out for a below-par total of 217. In reply, Tom Latham and Devon Conway put 70 runs for the opening wicket before R Ashwin broke the stand in the 35th over. Conway, who smashed England all around the park in the two-Test series, once again played a solid knock and scored 54 off 153 deliveries.
The left-hander, however, fell to Ishant Sharma late in the third day, and just when India felt like they could take a wicket or two before the scheduled end of day's play, the two umpires had a discussion and said the light was not ideal to continue. The Black Caps are still 116 runs behind but have eight wickets in hand.
"It was a crucial wicket for us. I feel if we would have been able to bowl a couple of more overs to Ross Taylor, who was a new batsman, we might have gotten a couple more wickets. But as you said, when the play will start tomorrow we'll have a slight edge on them because both of them are relatively new on the crease," said Gill.
Gill, who scored a good-looking 28 on Saturday, said Kyle Jamieson was rewarded for his accurate bowling. The tall paceman picked up his fifth five-wicket haul just in his eighth Test. Gill felt that the Indian bowlers too did well but were slightly unlucky.
"In this Test, I felt we were in a solid position, but unfortunately we lost a couple of early wickets today. But hopefully, we'll get some time in the next innings and we'll be able to do that. Jamieson was bowling well. I think the first spell that he bowled (on Saturday), he was bowling well in that spell, and he didn't get many wickets in the first spell, but he got his reward today.
"I feel our bowlers also bowled really well today. The luck didn't favour our side. Unfortunately, there was a couple that didn't go our way, but hopefully, tomorrow is a new day and it will bring some luck to our bowlers."
Gill also said that Indian spinners Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will make an impact in the next couple of days. "I think in the fourth innings the spinners will play a crucial role, and hopefully in this innings, as well. As the game goes on, hopefully, there will be some -- there will be some kind of help for the spinners."