Did Shubman Gill's Majestic 269 Lead India to Dominate at Edgbaston?

Birmingham, July 3 (NationPress) In an extraordinary display of batting, India’s captain Shubman Gill achieved a stunning career-high score of 269, while pacers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj dismantled England's top order, leading to a commanding Day Two for the visitors in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Day Two was undeniably dominated by Gill, who lived up to his reputation as the premier batter in this series for India. At a precarious score of 211/5, the prospect of reaching 450 seemed unrealistic. However, Gill remarkably stepped up, recording his career-best performance in Tests.

This innings was a definitive statement, showcasing Gill's resilience and tenacity as he batted for over eight hours, not only posting the highest score by an Indian batter in Tests on English soil but also achieving the highest score by an Indian captain in the format.

He was well-supported by spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (89) and Washington Sundar (42), who collaborated for impressive partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets, respectively. For England, Shoaib Bashir concluded with figures of 3-167, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue claimed 2-81 and 2-119, respectively.

In response, Akash Deep, who came in as a replacement for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, added to India’s advantage by taking 2-36, while Siraj finished with 1-21. Although Harry Brook and Joe Root remained unbeaten on 30 and 18, England faced a daunting challenge on Day Three after finishing at 77/3 in 20 overs, with a deficit of 510 runs.

Demonstrating exceptional technical skills against bowlers and maintaining a solid defense against quality deliveries, Gill mesmerized spectators with his innings, which included 30 fours and three sixes. He is now the second Test captain to score a double century in England and holds the record for the seventh highest score by an Indian batter in Tests.

The day commenced with Gill scoring a single through the leg-side, bringing up the hundred of his sixth wicket partnership with Jadeja. Their partnership was marked by aggressive boundaries off Woakes, leading to Jadeja’s 23rd Test fifty, celebrated with his signature sword-wielding gesture.

Jadeja struck two fours off Stokes before Gill executed a beautiful drive off Woakes for another four. Despite Brydon Carse experiencing discomfort, Gill capitalized by hitting him for consecutive boundaries—a short-arm jab followed by a delightful drive. When Carse resorted to short balls, and with Bashir proving to be less threatening, Gill reached his first 150 in Tests off 263 balls.

Jadeja also made an impact, and when India reached 400, Gill slog-swept the spinner for six more to mark the 200th run of his partnership with Jadeja.

England finally secured a breakthrough in the 108th over when Tongue bowled a short ball, which Jadeja attempted to fend off, resulting in a glove edge caught by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Gill and Sundar exhibited resilience, ensuring India didn’t suffer another wicket before the lunch break.

Gill continued to dominate in the second session, hitting boundaries off Bashir and Tongue. He reached his double century after pulling a short ball from Tongue, celebrating by bowing to his teammates and the crowd. He maintained his offensive strategy against England’s bowlers, reaching 250 as he carted boundaries off Carse, Bashir, and Brook.

Sundar's resistance ended at 42 off 103 balls when he was bowled by Root. Gill responded with a drive off Root for four, concluding the second session in India’s favor.

The final session began slowly, but Gill attempted to hook a short ball from Tongue, resulting in him getting caught at square leg as Edgbaston erupted in applause. Bashir wrapped up India’s innings by dismissing Akash Deep and stumping Siraj.

England’s innings commenced with Zak Crawley hitting two fours off Akash, but the pacer quickly found his rhythm and drew an outside edge from Ben Duckett, with Gill executing a stunning catch. Following that, Ollie Pope also fell without scoring, caught by KL Rahul in slips. England continued to struggle when Siraj took a hint of movement and secured the edge of Crawley, who fell to Karun Nair at first slip.

With Root and Brook at the crease, the duo managed to stabilize England’s innings somewhat. Brook displayed proficiency with his drives, lofts, and flicks, hitting boundaries, but as stumps arrived, it was clear that the day belonged to India and Gill.

Brief scores:

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) lead England 77/3 in 20 overs (Harry Brook 30 not out, Zak Crawley 19; Akash Deep 2-36, Mohammed Siraj 1-21) by 510 runs