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CRICKET 17 July 2026 ยท 18:30 IST 5 min read By Priya Subramanian

India steady at stumps after Gill century steadies the chase in Mohali

Shubman Gill's seventh Test century anchored India's reply against Australia after a morning wobble, while Jasprit Bumrah's twin strikes in the final session kept the visitors from breaking free.

PS
Priya Subramanian Cricket correspondent

Sections

  1. The day in summary
  2. Gill takes the chase by the scruff
  3. Bumrah pins the visitors at the close
  4. The pitch and the toss
  5. What to watch on day three
A cricket ball on the pitch during an evening session at Mohali
Mohali has produced a result in each of the last seven Tests played here.

India closed day two of the second Test against Australia on 142 for six, trailing by 31 runs with four wickets in hand. Shubman Gill, who resumed on 78, completed his seventh Test hundred in the first session and fell four balls later for 104. Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in the final hour to leave the visitors needing to bat again on a deteriorating surface.

The day in summary

Australia began the day on 264 for six and added 67 runs in the morning session, with Pat Cummins and the lower order extending the lead past 170. Nathan Lyon fell to Ravindra Jadeja in the eighth over of the day, but Cummins counter-attacked with three boundaries in his first 12 balls. India were 26 for two at lunch, with Yashasvi Jaiswal falling to Mitchell Starc and KL Rahul edging Scott Boland to second slip.

Gill and Virat Kohli added 81 for the third wicket before Kohli chopped on to Cummins for 41. Gill reached his hundred with a flick off his pads through mid-wicket, his seventh Test hundred and his second against Australia. He fell four balls later to a peach of a delivery from Starc that straightened off the surface.

Gill's hundred was the eighth century scored by an Indian in Tests at Mohali. Six of the eight have resulted in an Indian win.

Gill takes the chase by the scruff

Gill's hundred was the platform India needed after a morning wobble. He scored at 3.4 runs per over through the first session and 4.1 in the second, rotating strike against the spinners and punishing anything short from the quicks. His partnership with Kohli was the largest of the match so far.

The dismissal - a thin edge to Starc - ended a knock that lasted 211 balls and included 12 fours and a six. Gill has now scored 1,247 runs in the calendar year at an average of 62.4. He is the leading run-scorer in Tests in 2026.

Bumrah pins the visitors at the close

Bumrah's two wickets in the final session - Steve Smith caught at gully for 33 and Travis Head caught behind for 41 - gave India a foothold in the match. He bowled at 3.1 runs per over through the day and beat the bat 11 times in 18 overs.

The ball is just starting to talk. If we can get past 250 in the second innings, we have a chance on this surface.
- Rohit Sharma, India captain

The pitch and the toss

Mohali has produced a result in each of the last seven Tests played here. The surface has historically flattened by lunch on day three, but the curators left extra grass this time in response to the forecast of a late-week turnaround. The first two sessions were played on a damp surface; the third session, in contrast, was played on a dry, abrasive one.

THE PITCH

Mohali has produced a result in each of the last seven Tests. Five of those results have been wins for the side batting second. The average fourth-innings chase target in Tests at this ground over the last decade is 198.

What to watch on day three

India will resume on day three with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. The pair have a combined 14 Test centuries between them, and the morning session will go a long way to determining whether India can push the lead past 100. Australia's bowlers, meanwhile, will look to wrap up the Indian innings quickly and press for a fourth-innings chase.

The forecast is clear. The pitch is expected to break more from the rough outside off. The next session starts at 09:30 IST.

A cricket pitch being inspected by the match referee at Mohali
The curators left extra grass on the surface for the second Test.

Editor's verdict

Day two was India's, with Gill's hundred and Bumrah's twin strikes giving the home side a narrow advantage. Day three will decide the match. If India can push the lead past 150, the spinners - Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep - have the depth to bowl Australia out twice on a deteriorating surface. If Australia can keep India's second innings under 250, the chase is on. The smart money is on India, but the margin is small.

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The wider context

Mohali has produced a result in each of the last seven Tests played at the IS Bindra Stadium. Five of those results have been wins for the side batting second, and the average fourth-innings chase target in Tests at this ground over the last decade is 198. The pitch is expected to deteriorate further on day three, with the curators warning that the rough outside off stump will be the decisive factor.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is one of the four major Test series on the calendar, alongside the Ashes, the Frank Worrell Trophy and the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy. The 2025-26 series is the 16th edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with India leading the all-time count 10-5. A series win for India would lift them above Australia in the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Shubman Gill's century was his seventh in Tests, his second against Australia and his first away from home since 2024. The knock takes his calendar-year run tally to 1,247 at an average of 62.4 - the highest of any Test batter in 2026. He is now the leading run-scorer in the WTC 2025-27 cycle.

The Indian team management will be pleased with the first-innings fightback after a morning wobble. KL Rahul's dismissal at slip was the second time in the series he has fallen to the pull shot outside off - a technical issue the team will need to address before the next Test in Bengaluru.

CONTEXT AND WHAT COMES NEXT

What else to know

Why this story matters

The story matters because it sits at the intersection of two of the most-watched competitions on the COMESPORTSBUZZ calendar. The combination of the venue, the form of the key players and the tournament context means the outcome will have implications for the rest of the season.

The desk will continue to follow the story through the next match, the next round and the rest of the season. The next live update will be filed as soon as the next session of play begins. The next verdict will be filed inside 30 minutes of full time.

What to watch next

The next session starts at 09:30 IST. The key matchup to watch is the contest between the two captains, with both sides needing a win to consolidate their position in the standings. The desk will publish the predicted XI at 09:00 IST and the toss report at 09:30 IST.

The post-match press conference is scheduled for 18:00 IST. The desk will publish the key quotes inside 15 minutes of the conference ending. The desk will also publish the editor verdict inside 60 minutes of the conference ending.

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