India seized control of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar series in Birmingham, setting England an improbable target of 608 before reducing them to 72 for 3 by stumps on day four.
Shubman Gill led from the front yet again, compiling a sublime 161 off 162 balls—his eighth Test hundred and fifth against England — to go with his first-innings 269. In the process, Gill became only the second player in Test history to score 200 and 150 in the same match, finishing with an aggregate of 430 runs, behind only Graham Gooch’s 456 against India in 1990.
Gill was ably supported by Rishabh Pant, who smashed 65 off just 58 deliveries, and Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 69. KL Rahul also contributed a fluent 55 as India declared their second innings closed at 427 for 6 in 83 overs, leaving England a mountain to climb.
England’s reply began disastrously. Just as in the first innings, India’s new-ball pair of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj struck early blows. Akash bowled Ben Duckett for 25 and then produced a superb delivery that seamed away from Joe Root, clipping the off stump to dismiss England’s most experienced batter for 6. Siraj removed Zak Crawley without scoring, leaving the hosts tottering at 39 for 3.
The performance marked a significant turnaround for India’s bowling group, who had been under scrutiny after a wayward outing in the first Test and were missing the rested Jasprit Bumrah.
You know, we had a good discussion after the last Test about areas we wanted to improve, and I think we've done that. That's a pleasing sign from a growing attack missing one of the most experienced players. To see them react like this is very encouraging.
Morkel singled out Akash Deep for praise, especially for the ball that dismissed Root. "Coming back from injury and running in with real pace is a nice sign," Morkel noted. "The more confidence you give him, the more energy he has behind the ball. That delivery — hopefully he'll play it over and over on his phone tonight and bring out a couple more tomorrow."
At the close, Harry Brook (24*) and Ollie Pope (15*) were England’s last recognised batters at the crease. They still require another 536 runs on the final day to pull off a miracle, while India need seven wickets for a famous series-levelling win, weather permitting.
Earlier, Gill’s innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression. He struck 13 fours and eight sixes, dominating a tiring England attack. He shared a 110-run stand for the fourth wicket with Pant, whose counterattack kept England on the back foot, and added another 175 with Jadeja to bat the hosts out of the contest.
Brief Scores: India 587 and 427/6 dec (Gill 161, Pant 65, Rahul 55, Jadeja 69*) England 407 and 72/3 (Duckett 25; Akash Deep 2/36, Siraj 1/29) England need 536 runs to win.
Gill’s Record-Breaking Edgbaston Test
• 430 runs: Second-highest aggregate in a Test match (after Graham Gooch’s 456 vs India, 1990).
• Two 150+ scores: Only the second batter to do this in a Test, after Allan Border (150* & 153 vs Pakistan, 1980).
• Century + Double Century: Among nine batters with both in a Test. Only Sunil Gavaskar had achieved it for India before.
• Hundreds in Both Innings as Captain: Third Indian captain to do so (Gavaskar vs West Indies, 1978; Kohli vs Australia, 2014).
• Hundreds in Both Innings in England: Second Indian to accomplish this, after Rishabh Pant at Headingley.
• 1014 runs: India’s total match aggregate—their highest ever and the fourth-highest overall in Tests.
• First Indian Pair: Gill & Jadeja are the first Indian duo with a 100+ stand and a 200+ stand in the same Test.
• Four Century Partnerships: Gill is the first Indian and fifth overall to feature in four century stands in one Test.
• 585 runs: Second-highest aggregate in the first two Tests of a series (after Graeme Smith’s 621). Highest ever by a Test captain in this span.
