India vs England | Double delight for Gill as hosts run riot at Birmingham

The 25-year-old became the first Indian captain to score a double hundred in a Test match in England.

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 perfectly on course to defying one of the most famous lines 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, responsibility and lead a smarting team with authority, smashing a record-breaking 265 not out to power the visitors to 564/7 from 141 overs at tea.

Just like in the opening Test at Leeds where he resumed the second day on a century, the stage at a sold-out Edgbaston was set for a cracking day although the situations were 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 into his head.

He unleashed that determination in exemplary fashion, first forging a game-changing 203-run partnership with Jadeja (89, 137b) before annoying 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 380 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 and an edge while bringing up his 250, there was not a single false shot. It’s almost impossible to imagine how a batter out in middle for six hours can accomplish it. 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 is 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, piercing 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 never happened though.

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.