All of a sudden, Gill had more than 400 runs in the series and Rohit was closing in.

Just before the stroke of lunch, Rohit flicked Tom Hartley in his trademark way to get his 12th Test hundred, ninth as an opener. The celebrations were a bit muted as the Indian captain raised his bat without removing his helmet like he would do for a half-century. In the next over, Gill got down on one knee to send Bashir into the square leg stands and the moment finally came.

Before Gill could celebrate, Rohit’s arms went aloft, celebrating the youngster’s milestone. Gill took his cap off, bowed down in front of the dressing room to acknowledge the applause (the crowd, including his dad who was watching from the stands, rose to applaud). Then, came the big hug from the captain, for he knew what this century meant to Gill. There was a reason why he was featuring at No. 3 despite the string of low scores. Over the last three weeks, Gill has repaid the faith shown in him.

As Rohit and Gill walked back unbeaten for lunch, everyone in the stands were on their feet. They knew they had witnessed something special. Even the England team knew, Stokes, while appreciating his bowlers for their effort, ensured the Indian duo were walking ahead and crossed the ropes before he and the others did the same.

That session was a testament to India’s present and the future, and it, understandably, took something special to bring an end to it. Stokes, who had not bowled in a competitive environment for 251 days, bowled a perfect outswinger to castle Rohit before Anderson’s inswinger removed Gill. While England could not get back in the game — India batted through the day to finish at 473/8 — it was the stand between Rohit (103) and Gill (110) that ensured the hosts remained on top. And it’s worth a lot more than the 171 they put on.