2nd Test: Gill slams hard-fought second hundred as Test captain, takes India to 310/5

Birmingham, July 2 (IANS) Shubman Gill was at his determined best to hit a hard-fought seventh Test hundred – his second as India’s captain – as the visitors’ reached 310/5 in 85 overs at stumps on day one of second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Under sunny blue sky, Gill, coming after making 147 in Headingley, showed immense responsibility as well as patience and played like someone extremely determined to grind it out to be unbeaten on 114 off 216 deliveries, laced with 12 boundaries.

During his unbeaten knock, which is his fourth Test hundred against England, Gill has become just the second Indian captain after Mohammad Azharuddin to score hundreds in consecutive Tests in England.

He is also the third India captain with hundreds in consecutive Tests against England, after Azharuddin (Lord’s and Old Trafford in 1990) and Vijay Hazare (Delhi and Brabourne in 1951/52). After Yashasvi Jaiswal hit an enterprising 87, Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, who ended the day on 41 not out, shared an unbroken 99-run stand for the sixth wicket and helped India recover well from 211/5.

For England, local lad Chris Woakes was the standout bowler with two wickets and could easily have had at least a couple more if he was on the right side of DRS. Brydon Carse, Ben Stokes and Shoaib Bashir all claimed one apiece. The final session began sedately, before a ball change was made due to it being stuck in the gauge. Gill then used his feet nicely to take a four each off Woakes and Bashir – second of which got him his fifty in 125 balls.

But Bashir struck in the 61st over when he teased Rishabh Pant, who previously lapped him for four, into playing a big shot on a slower, flighted delivery, and the wicketkeeper-batter fell into the trap by holing out to long-on for 25. One brought two for England as Nitish Kumar Reddy left an outside off-stump delivery from Chris Woakes, but the ball jagged back in to knock over off-stump.

With two quick breakthroughs done, England brought back Brydon Carse, but a solid Gill drove him crisply through extra cover and point for a brace of fours. Gill and Jadeja took a boundary each off Stokes, who tried to unsettle the duo with a barrage of bouncers. But it didn’t pay off as the duo brought up a half-century of their partnership for the sixth wicket.

While Jadeja took boundaries off Bashir and Tongue, Gill cut off the pacer for four, before sweeping on consecutive deliveries off Joe Root to bring up his seventh Test hundred off 199 deliveries, with a trademark roar and gentle bow. After the second new ball was taken, Gill and Jadeja got a boundary each before a solid day of Test cricket came to an end.

Brief Scores: India 310/5 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 114 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87; Chris Woakes 2-59, Brydon Carse 1-49) against England

--IANS

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