Shubman Gill made history by becoming the first player to achieve both a score exceeding 250 and one exceeding 150 in the same Test match, as India set a daunting target of 608 runs for England to chase in the second Test at Edgbaston.
A rapid partnership of 110 runs between Rishabh Pant and Gill was succeeded by a substantial 175-run partnership between the captain and Ravindra Jadeja, leading India to a total of 427 for 6 before they declared their second innings just an hour into the third session on Day 4. England faced early challenges during the 16 overs before Stumps, with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj working together to reduce their score to 72 for 3.
Shubman Gill's consecutive century puts India in an winning position
Earlier, on a cloudy morning, Brydon Carse stood out as England’s most menacing bowler, challenging India’s batters with sharp bounce and movement. He had KL Rahul edging early, only for the ball to evade slip, and struck Karun Nair on the helmet with a delivery that zipped in. Carse ultimately broke the second-wicket partnership at 45 runs, enticing Nair into a drive that resulted in a catch behind. Nevertheless, India’s batters managed to keep the scoreboard moving, reaching 100 runs within the first hour. England, on the other hand, wasted a review for an LBW appeal against Shubman Gill, with replays confirming a clear inside edge. Rahul reached his fifty before being bowled out by a stunning delivery from Josh Tongue.
Pant then took charge with a forceful knock. He stylishly opened his account by guiding a short ball from Tongue past fine leg for four runs, followed by a commanding six over long-off. Pant also experienced a fortunate moment when Crawley dropped him at mid-off off Ben Stokes, allowing him to capitalize by hitting a four and an audacious sweep for six off Tongue. The left-handed batsman then pulled Shoaib Bashir for two fours in his initial over, lost his bat while attempting to hit a Tongue delivery, narrowly avoided being caught off a leading edge, and was almost bowled by the offspinner. Nevertheless, he persevered with his aggressive strategy, and a boundary off Bashir pushed the lead beyond 350 before the Lunch break, with India accumulating 113 runs off 25 overs during the session.
After Lunch, Pant quickly got into his stride, executing a late cut off Bashir for four runs. Gill then took on Tongue, hitting a six over fine leg followed by two fours, surpassing Virat Kohli’s tally (449) for the most runs in his debut series as India Test captain. Gill struck another six over fine leg off Tongue, followed by a flat-batted shot past midwicket for four, bringing up a 57-ball fifty. Pant followed suit with a 48-ball fifty, reaching the milestone with a single off Tongue before extending the lead past 400 with a six over long-on. The fourth wicket partnership exceeded 100 when Pant swept Bashir for four, but it concluded shortly after when the left-hander lost his bat for the second time in the innings and was caught at long-off in Bashir’s over.
Gill then hit a four and a six in the same over, moving into the 80s and breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record (344 vs West Indies in 1971) for the highest aggregate by an Indian in a Test. Ravindra Jadeja had a cautious start at the other end, even as the lead surpassed 450 in the second hour of the session. Gill entered the 90s with some sharp singles and twos before sweeping Joe Root for four. He ran a risky two before Jadeja finally found the gap on the off side for a boundary. India reached 300, and Gill celebrated his second century of the match.
India gets a big lead of 600+ runs
Jadeja indicated India’s desire to accelerate right from the beginning of the final session, hitting a straight six off Bashir. Gill followed suit with a six and two fours off Chris Woakes, as India surpassed their previous highest Test total, exceeding 916 against Australia at the SCG in 2004. A boundary for Gill off Bashir elevated the century partnership, making him one of only five players in Test history to participate in four 100-plus partnerships within a single Test. Jadeja then struck a four each off Bashir and Root, achieving his second fifty of the match. Gill launched two sixes off Root as the lead exceeded 550, and the Indian captain became only the fifth player to accumulate 400 or more runs in a Test.
The fifth-wicket partnership reached 150 when Jadeja struck a four off Root, and Gill soon celebrated his 150 with a six in the same over. Gill then hit his eighth six of the innings – off Bashir – before being dismissed by the same bowler. India chose not to declare following the captain’s dismissal, opting to continue batting even after Nitish Reddy was dismissed by Root. Washington Sundar then hit a six and a four, pushing the lead beyond 600. The wait for the declaration persisted, with India ultimately achieving only the sixth instance of a 1000-plus aggregate in a Test, before finally concluding their innings.
England lose 3 wickets in the last session
Having thoroughly exhausted England on the field for most of this Test, India made an early impact in the fourth innings, putting the hosts in a precarious position. Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck by Siraj, who induced a catch to point as Crawley drove away from his body. India lost a review for a caught behind off Ben Duckett, who responded with a series of regular boundaries to get England underway. However, Duckett’s innings was abruptly ended by Akash Deep, who had him inside-edge onto the stumps. Ollie Pope managed to hit two fours off Akash Deep, although he was not in control of the first one, which resulted in a leading edge that went past gully.
In the meantime, India continued to struggle with their reviews, losing another when Prasidh Krishna struck Pope on the pad, with replays indicating the ball was going down. Pope received a fortunate break when an edge off Prasidh did not reach Pant, but Akash Deep made a significant impact in the following over, dismissing Root with a delivery that angled in. Pope nearly chopped onto his stumps from a Prasidh delivery, while Harry Brook came close to offering a catch to short midwicket. Both remained unbeaten at Stumps, with England facing a daunting task on the final day, requiring 536 more runs with seven wickets still in hand
SCORECARD: India 587 & 427/6 decl. (Shubman Gill 161, Ravindra Jadeja 69*, Rishabh Pant 65; Josh Tongue 2-93) lead England 407 & 72/3 (Ben Duckett 25; Akash Deep 2-36, Mohammed Siraj 1-29) by 535 runs.
