NEW DELHI: Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's centuries bolstered India's dominance in the final Test against England, propelling them to a commanding 255-run lead on Friday.
At the close of day two, the hosts reached 473-8, with Kuldeep Yadav (27) and Jasprit Bumrah (19) holding the crease amidst the breathtaking backdrop of the Dharamsala stadium, nestled in the embrace of the snowcapped Himalayas.
Following tea, India encountered a brief stumble in the middle order as spinners Shoaib Bashir (4-170) and Tom Hartley snatched quick wickets.
However, Yadav and Bumrah rallied, forging a resilient partnership of 45 runs to fortify India's position.
1/7:'Mount 700': Yashasvi Jaiswal betters Virat Kohli, joins Sunil Gavaskar in elite club
ANI
2/7:Jaiswal surpasses Kohli
<p>Dynamic opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has amassed a remarkable total of 712 runs in the ongoing series, breaking Virat Kohli's previous record of 655 runs in the 2016 series for the most runs scored by an Indian batter in a Test series against England. <br /></p>Getty Images
3/7:Second-fastest to 1000 runs in Tests
<p>Jaiswal reached the 1000-run milestone in Test cricket after completing 16 innings, marking the second-fastest achievement for an Indian in this format. Vinod Kambli holds the record as the quickest, accomplishing this feat in just 14 innings.<br /></p>Reuters
4/7:Third-highest series tally by an Indian!
<p>Jaiswal's current series aggregate stands as the third-highest for an Indian in a Test series, trailing behind Sunil Gavaskar's remarkable scores of 774 in 1971 and 732 in 1978-79, both achieved against West Indies.<br /></p>PTI
5/7:Fastest Indian to 1000 runs as an opener in Tests
<p>Jaiswal is the fastest Indian to reach 1000 runs as an opener in men's Tests, bettering the record held by Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who did it in 17 innings. <br /></p>AFP
6/7:Fifth-quickest to 1000 Test runs in terms of number of days
<p>Jaiswal took 239 days from his debut to complete 1000 Test runs, becoming the fifth-quickest batter. Australia's Michael Hussey, who reached the milestone just 164 days after his debut, sits right at the top.<br /></p>Getty Images
7/7:Joint second-fastest to 1000 runs in terms of number of Tests
<p>It took Jaiswal a mere nine Tests to surpass the 1000-run mark in Test cricket, making this achievement the joint second-fastest in history, alongside Herbert Sutcliffe, George Headley, and Everton Weekes. The only cricketer to achieve this milestone at a quicker pace is Donald Bradman, who accomplished it in just seven Tests.<br /></p>ReutersEngland had their moments when skipper Ben Stokes struck on his first ball since his knee surgery last year and fellow quick James Anderson moving to 699 career Test wickets.
But India kept up their dominance after Rohit (103) and Gill (110) hammered home the advantage following India's overnight start at 135-1.
Sarfaraz Khan made 56 and debutant Devdutt Padikkal hit 65 but Bashir got the two out with his off-spin as India lost regular wickets.
Sarfaraz, who reached his fifty in 55 balls, was caught at slip on the first delivery after tea.
Three wickets fell in the space of nine balls with left-arm spinner Hartley getting two in one over to expose the tail, which kept wagging.
England's highlight for the day came when Stokes dispatched his Indian counterpart Rohit with a delivery that seamed off the pitch to rattle the batsman's off stump in the second over after lunch.
It ended a charging 171-run second-wicket stand with fellow centurion Gill.
Stokes' stunning bowling return after eight months and a knee surgery last November lifted England's spirits with the right-arm seamer on target right away.
He bowled five overs for 17 runs including a maiden before retreating to field for the rest of the day.
Anderson got one to nip back in and bowled Gill.
1/10:Cricketers who played 100 Test matches for India
Getty Images
2/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the 14th cricketer to play 100 Test matches for India in the 5th Test against England in Dharamshala. </p>AP
3/10:Sachin Tendulkar
<p>The legendary Sachin Tendulkar heads the list having played 200 Test matches for India scoring 15921 runs. </p>TNN
4/10:Rahul Dravid
<p>The present head coach Rahul Dravid comes next with 163 Test matches scoring 13265 runs for India. </p>TNN
5/10:VVS Laxman
<p>The wristy VVS Laxman played 134 Test matches for India scoring 8781 runs. </p>TNN
6/10:Anil Kumble
<p>Former captain Anil Kumble played 132 Test matches for India taking 619 wickets. </p>TNN
7/10:Kapil Dev
<p>The great Kapil Dev played 131 Test matches for India scoring 5248 runs and taking 434 wickets. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Sunil Gavaskar
<p>The legendary Sunil Gavaskar was the first cricketer to play 100 Tests for India and he ended his stellar career after playing 125 Tests scoring 10122 runs. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Dilip Vengsarkar
<p>Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar played 116 Test matches for India scoring 6868 runs. </p>Getty Images
10/10:Sourav Ganguly
<p>Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly scored 7212 runs in the 113 Test matches he played for the country. </p>TNNThe 41-year-old is one shy of becoming the third bowler to take 700 Test wickets, after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and the late Australian great Shane Warne (708).
Rohit, who survived a dropped catch by Zak Crawley on 68, raised his second ton of the series with a single off Hartley to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Gill got to his hundred two balls later in the next over with a boundary off Bashir as he took a bow and doffed his cap to all corners.
(With inputs from AFP)
