India's Shubman Gill at stumps on Day 2 of the 2nd Test in the ongoing five-match series.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Birmingham: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Although he’s still taking baby steps in his reign as the Indian Test team captain — one of the most challenging jobs in the country — Shubman Gill appears on course to defy one of the most famous lines penned by the great William Shakespeare.
The 25-year-old Gill, the fourth youngest Indian Test captain who was forecast for bigger things right from his early days as an international cricketer, carried on beautifully from where he left off on the opening day of the second Test, turning a masterclass of a century into a magnum opus to power India to a position of great strength at Edgbaston.
On a sun-splashed second day where the travelling Indian under-19 team was in attendance, Gill gave a textbook demonstration to the next generation on how to bat with utmost concentration and responsibility, and lead a smarting team with authority, smashing an era-defining and record-breaking 269 (30x4, 3x6) to power the visitors to 587 all out. His bowlers then bowled with their tails up, leaving England in a spot at 77/3 at stumps.
Just like in the opening Test at Leeds where he had resumed the second day on a century, the stage at a sold-out Edgbaston was set for a cracking day despite the situations being different. Then, at 359/3, he was batting in the company of Rishabh Pant where he could afford to play odd high-risk shots. This time, at 310/5, he was batting with Ravindra Jadeja and was the last lone specialist batter left. The inexplicable middle-order collapse India suffered at Leeds that allowed England a way back into the contest was at the back of his mind. That he had to bat as long as possible to anchor India to a massive total was deeply ingrained in his head.
Gill unleashed that determination in exemplary fashion, first forging a game-changing 203-run partnership with Jadeja (89, 137b) before hurting England with a 144-run stand for the seventh wicket with Washington Sundar (42, 103b), whose inclusion ahead of left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was slammed by many critics as defensive.
Great players have the supreme skill of shutting out all the outside noise and going about their business unfettered, completely oblivious to all chatter, and Gill was in that zone. In the 387 balls he played overall, his control percentage stood at a whopping 93. Barring one ugly shot where he gave himself room to slap a ball through the off-side, an edge while bringing up his 250, and the shot that brought about his dismissal a little after tea, there was no other false shot. It’s almost impossible to imagine how a batter out in the middle for 509 minutes can accomplish this. It was one of the most special innings played, and by a special player, who has been considered the heir to the throne vacated by Virat Kohli.
Yes, the pitch was an absolute belter and the England bowling attack was not the same as the one that had James Anderson and Stuart Broad. But Stokes, Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse did make life difficult for Gill with their strategies. First it was the short-ball ploy where Stokes packed all fielders in the on-side and his bowlers kept going at Gill’s ribs. Gill countered them without any discomfort, constantly pulling but ensuring the ball was always kept down.
When that plan didn’t work, Stokes tried the fuller-length strategy. He placed most of his fielders on the off-side and the line was around the off-stump. Gill found a response there too, piecing the gaps like threading a needle. Whatever England tried, Gill had an answer. And after a point they just gave up, hoping the batter would make a mistake on his own. That, however, never happened.
While Gill is undoubtedly the star, Jadeja and Sundar deserve plenty of praise for their partnerships. Like their captain, they too showed remarkable application, playing the percentages brilliantly. One of those days where the sidekicks had an equal role as the hero in bailing their team out.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA (I Innings, O/n: 310/5):
Jaiswal c Smith b Stokes 87
(107b, 13x4)
Rahul b Woakes 2
(26b)
Nair c Brook b Carse 31
(50b, 5x4)
Gill c Pope b Tongue 269
(387b, 30x4, 3x6)
Pant c Crawley b Bashir 25
(42b, 1x4, 1x6)
Nitish b Woakes 1
(6b)
Jadeja b Smith b Tongue 89
(137b, 10x4, 1x6)
Sundar b Root 42
(103b, 3x4, 1x6)
Akash c Duckett b Bashir 6
(13b, 1x4)
Siraj st Smith b Bashir 8
(23b, 1x4)
Prasidh (not out) 5
(20b)
Extras (B-6, LB-6, NB-8, W-2) 22
TOTAL (all out, 151 overs) 587
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Rahul), 2-95 (Nair), 3-161 (Jaiswal), 4-208 (Pant), 5-211 (Nitish), 6-414 (Jadeja), 7-558 (Sundar), 8-574 (Gill), 9-574 (Akash).
Bowling: Woakes 25-6-81-2 (nb-2), Carse 24-3-83-1, Tongue 28-2-119-2 (w-1, nb-2), Stokes 19-0-74-1 (nb-4), Bashir 45-2-167-3, Root 5-0-20-1, Brook 5-0-31-0.
ENGLAND (I Innings):
Crawley c Nair b Siraj 19
(30b, 3x4)
Duckett c Gill b Akash 0
(5b)
Pope c Rahul b Akash 0
(1b)
Root (batting) 18
(37b, 1x4)
Brook (batting) 30
(53b, 4x4, 1x6)
Extras (LB-4, NB-6) 10
TOTAL (for 3 wkts, 20 overs) 77
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Duckett), 2-13 (Pope), 3-25 (Crawley).
Bowling: Akash 7-1-36-2 (nb-2), Siraj 7-2-21-1 (nb-3), Prasidh 3-0-11-0, Nitish 1-0-1-0, Jadeja 2-1-4-0 (nb-1).