It was a dominant Day Two for the visitors in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Edgbaston here on Thursday. India captain Shubman Gill hammered a magnificent career-best 269 while Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep struck to destroy England’s top order.
However, Gill was the only one who lived up to the hype as India’s top hitter in this series on Day Two. A total value of 450 was not feasible for India at 211/5. However, Gill came through with a spectacular innings, the finest of his Test career.
With his tenacity and resolve, Gill overcame all obstacles to bat for nearly eight hours and record the greatest score for an Indian batsman in Test matches in England, as well as for an Indian skipper in the format overall. It was a statement knock.
Additionally, he had outstanding assistance from spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar (42) and Ravindra Jadeja (89), who stitched partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets, respectively. Shoaib Bashir finished with 3-167 for England, who received little assistance, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue took 2-81 and 2-119, respectively.
In response, Siraj returned with 1-21, while Akash Deep, who was substituted for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, gave India an additional edge by selecting 2-36. After reaching 77/3 in 20 overs at stumps, England faces a daunting challenge on Day Three, even though Joe Root and Harry Brook are undefeated on 30 and 18, respectively, and the margin is still 510 runs.
Gill left everyone in amazement of his knock, which was filled with 30 fours and three sixes, thanks to his technical mastery of attacking bowlers and his ability to defend against good balls. He currently holds the seventh-highest total for an Indian batter in Test cricket and is the second Test skipper in England to reach a double century.
Gill reached the hundred of his sixth wicket partnership with Jadeja at the start of the day after hitting a single through the leg-side. Before Jadeja hauled out the sword-wielding celebrations and scored his 23rd Test fifty with a clip off the pacer, the two would take four off Woakes each.
Before Gill leaned into a fantastic drive off Woakes for four, Jadeja would take two fours off Stokes. Brydon Carse was having trouble because of discomfort, but Gill hit him for consecutive boundaries with a superb drive after a short-arm jab. Even though Shoaib Bashir was not very dangerous and Carse used a short-ball tactic, Gill achieved his first-ever 150-run score in Test cricket off 263 balls.
After hitting Josh Tongue for four, Jadeja danced down the field and hit Bashir over his head for a consecutive six, raising India’s score to 400. Then, to reach the 200th run in his partnership with Jadeja, Gill slog-swept the spinner for six more.
In the 108th over, Tongue threw a short ball from around the wicket, and Jadeja leaped in the air to try to block it, but wicketkeeper Jamie Smith caught the glove edge. This was the first breakthrough for England. India didn’t lose any more wickets before lunch because to Gill and Sundar, who withstood a blistering performance from Tongue at the fag end.
In the second session, Gill continued to handle Bashir brilliantly, picking a six from a loft and a four off a drive. After he crunched Tongue for two fours, Sundar gained control and pulled Tongue for six after flaying Bashir for four.
After hitting his 200th run with a short ball from Tongue, Gill went down on one knee, punched the air, and performed his signature bow to the audience and his teammates. After hitting Bashir for two fours and then cutting, punching, and creaming Brook for three boundaries, Gill kept up his impressive play.
By carting Carse, Bashir, and Brook for boundaries—the last of which passed a vacant slip area to earn his 250—he maintained his dominance over England. When Sundar played down the incorrect line and was caught by Root at 42 off 103 balls, his resistance came to an end. Before the second session finished decisively in India’s favor, Gill surged forward and drove Root for four.
The last session started calmly when Gill attempted to hook a short ball from Tongue but was given a square leg. The Edgbaston crowd gave the Indian captain a standing ovation. After Mohammed Siraj was stumped and Akash Deep holed out to long-on, Bashir completed India’s innings.
After Akash was hit for two fours by Zak Crawley to start England’s innings, the bowler made a brief recovery. The opener dropped for a duck after he hit the ideal line to draw Ben Duckett’s outside edge. Gill, who had just returned to the field, dived to his left to make a superb catch.
Ollie Pope attempted to flip a fuller delivery from Akash on the very next ball, but KL Rahul caught the outside edge in slips on the second try, and England’s two centurions from the Leeds Test returned empty-handed. When Siraj caught a glimpse of movement and pulled Zak Crawley’s outside edge, who pushed to Karun Nair at first slip, England kept losing.
As Root and Brook persisted, they were able to stabilize England’s innings. As stumps arrived on a day that really belonged to India and Gill, Brook, who was skilled with his drive, loft, and flick, first got him boundaries before flicking and slicing Prasidh Krishna for two more fours to go undefeated with Root.
Short scores:
England is 77/3 in 20 overs (Harry Brook 30 not out, Zak Crawley 19; Akash Deep 2-36, Mohammed Siraj 1-21) behind India 587 in 151 overs (Shubman Gill 269, Ravindra Jadeja 89, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87, Washington Sundar 42; Shoaib Bashir 3-167, Chris Woakes 2-81, Josh Tongue 2-119) by 510 runs.
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