Cricket - Second Test - England v India - Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, Britain - July 3, 2025 -- India's Shubman Gill in action -- Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Birmingham, United Kingdom, July 3, 2025 (AFP): India captain Shubman Gill posted his highest Test score of 168 not out as he continued to lead from the front against England at Edgbaston on Thursday.
India were 419-6 at lunch on the second day of the second Test, with Gill and Ravindra Jadeja (89) sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 203.
For the second match in a row the 25-year-old Gill had bettered his Test-best score after making 147 in last week's five-wicket loss at Headingley, where England went 1-0 up in a five-match series
India scored 109 runs in the session's 25 overs and almost got through without losing a wicket.
But 10 minutes before the interval, Jadeja fell in sight of a fifth Test hundred when he gloved a short ball from fast bowler Josh Tongue to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. The all-rounder faced 137 balls, including 10 fours and a six.
India, again sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes, resumed on 310-5.
Gill was 114 not out after becoming just the seventh player to to score a century in each of his first two (or more) Tests as captain.
It was also, statistically at least, the most secure Test hundred on record in England since analysts Cricviz began recording such statistics in 2006.
On Wednesday, Gill's false shot percentage of just 3.5 percent. The average when making a hundred in England is 12 percent.
Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed a typically entertaining 87 before Gill received sound support from Jadeja (41 not out) in a partnership worth 99 at Wednesday's close.
But India, batting in ideal sunny conditions Thursday, now wanted even more runs from their fifth-wicket after collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 cost them dear at Headingley.
It was not long before Jadeja went to 50 with a single off local hero Chris Woakes.
Jadeja celebrated with his trademark 'sword dance' wave of the bat to huge cheers from the large number of India fans in the crowd.
There was more applause for Jadeja when the left-handed batsman struck successive fours off Stokes, with a superb back-foot punch through extra-cover followed by a cut off a loose delivery.
Stokes introduced off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and set a 6-3 legside field for paceman Brydon Carse, with England trying increasingly unusual methods to make a breakthrough on a good batting pitch.
Gill's single off Bashir took him to 150 in 263 balls, including 17 fours. Buoyed by setting a new personal best with the largest of his seven hundreds in 34 Tests, Gill then reverse-swept Bashir for four.
Jadeja then lofted Bashir for six to bring up India's 400 and Gill brought up a 200-run stand with the all-rounder in style by slog-sweeping the spinner for another six. - AFP
