After Shubman Gill’s record-breaking 269 runs and their seamers striking early, England trail India by 510 runs on day two of their second Test, which they lost to at Edgbaston.
When Akash Deep took two wickets in two balls, India were teetered up on Thursday, prompting Mohammed Siraj to top off the act and leave England at 25-3 on a wicket that had been a good one for the bat.
When Deep drew an edge and the ball flew to KL Rahul in the slips, Ben Duckett nicked a ball to the third slip, where Gill made a smart diving catch before Ollie Pope fell for a duck the next time.
India lost its first Test at Headingley to a dropped catch, but Siraj’s draw at the end resulted in Karun Nair finding Karun Nair at first slip.
Gill told the broadcaster Sky Sports, “Fielding was definitely one of those things we talked about as a team, and it’s great to see that come off so far.”
“This game was all about confidence,” he said. We discussed that we would be in the game if we hit 400 again, whether it was first or second.
Harry Brook (30) and Joe Root (18) resisted the umpire’s call to cancel a review for LBW, surviving with a 52-run partnership.
Gill breaks records for this.
Gill also recorded the highest score by an Indian captain when he passed Virat Kohli’s 254 to become the first Indian to surpass 250 outside of the Indian subcontinent. He broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 241.
In the first two days of the Test, Gill barely managed to make up any errors, but after tea, he had trouble focusing when he attempted to dispatch a short ball from Josh Tongue and discovered Pope at square leg.
The captain’s knock was saluted by the Edgbaston crowd as he returned to the pavilion, where his task had been completed when India were struggling at 211-5 on day one.
Gill, who has allowed 424 runs in the series, said, “I worked on a few things before the series that I thought might be important for me going into Test cricket.”
“They are working for me, looking at the results,” I said.
After allowing the all-rounder to score a 203-5, Jadeja and Gill built a 203-run stand before the Tongue bouncer fell, but Gill looked completely at ease on a flat track with little assistance.
Gill barely broke a sweat as England’s bowlers struggled under the heat of the summer sun as he showcased his collection of elegant drives and well-timed flicks to add runs.
Shubman, take a bow.
Gill broke Sunil Gavaskar’s 46-year-old record for the highest score by an Indian in England (221 in 1979), making his trademark bow once more as the first India skipper to record a double-hundred in England.
As he slammed the ball everywhere, he soon started toying with the fielders’ attacks and placement, coolly switching between sublime and unconventional shots.
Gill was in Twenty20 mode as they cruised past the 500-mark and a rare outside edge pushed the captain to 250 with Washington Sundar playing patiently at the other end.
When Root departed for a well-made 42, a delivery broke through Sundar’s defense to break the seventh-wicket partnership of 144.
Source: Aljazeera
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