Skipper Shubman lights up Birmingham with majestic 269, the highest score by an Indian in England, as visitors post mammoth 587 all out; hosts stumble to 77-3 at stumps on Day Two
An ecstatic India skipper Shubman Gill celebrates his 200 against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
Thursday was largely, but only, about Shubman Gill, who inspired a terrific riposte from his lads at a sunny Edgbaston.
Captain Fantastic produced the biggest score by an Indian on English soil on Day Two of the second Test, a monumental effort of 269 that was the bedrock of India’s massive 587. During his eight-and-a-half-hour vigil, he comfortably went past his previous Test highest of 147 scored in the last game — but he will be the first to acknowledge that he couldn’t have done it all on his own after his side resumed on 310 for four.
India’s lower order came seriously unstuck in both innings of the first Test, losing seven for 41 in the first and then six for 31. But this time, there was no unseemly implosion. Ravindra Jadeja (89), the feisty all-rounder, helped his skipper put on 203 for the sixth wicket, after which Washington Sundar, one of three inclusions for this game, weighed in with a vital 42 in a seventh-wicket alliance of 144.
India players celebrate a wicket yesterday. Pic/Bipin Patel
With the two left-handers in the second half of the batting order as willing allies, Gill put England to the sword with delectable stroke-play. More than anything, his biggest fight was with himself — how to keep his concentration intact on a flat track that once again showed up Ben Stokes’s folly of asking India to bat first.
Gill finally perished to a tired pull, shortly after tea. By the time he was caught at square-leg by Ollie Pope, he had put his side in a position of great strength, and there was a sense of purpose and intent when the team strode out into the middle at the start of England’s reply, some 50 minutes into the final session.
Akash Deep, drafted in for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, was driven twice in his first over for boundaries by Zak Crawley, but quickly pulled his length back while Mohammed Siraj extracted more swing than England had managed. Having gone for 12 in his first over, Deep struck twice in two deliveries deep in his second. Ben Duckett, India’s tormentor at Headingley, was smartly caught two-handed to his left at third slip by Gill — who else? — while Pope closed his bat face too early in trying to work his first ball to leg and was snaffled at the second attempt by KL Rahul at second slip.
Things went from bad to worse when Crawley flashed at Siraj without moving his feet, the resultant outside edge grabbed head-high at first slip by Karun Nair. India, cock-a-hoop, put Harry Brook (30 not out) through a torrid time, but England’s No. 5 somehow survived to hold fort alongside the untroubled Joe Root (18 not out).
At stumps England were 77-3.
269
No. of runs scored by Shubman Gill yesterday — the most by an Indian captain
Brief scores
India 587 all out (S Gill 269, R Jadeja 89, Y Jaiswal 87, W Sundar 42, K Nair 31; S Bashir 3-167, C Woakes 2-81, J Tongue 2-119) v England 77-3 (H Brook
30*, A Deep 2-36)
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