The lower order didn’t crumble. Shubman Gill, too, continued from where he had left off on Day I. Importantly, the bowlers responded to the batting group’s solid effort, reducing England to 77/3 at stumps on Day II in Birmingham.
For sure, India find themselves in a dominant position in this second Test.
Skipper Gill hit a record-breaking double hundred to eventually finish at 269, playing a massive role in helping India to 587. He then set it up with a superb take at third slip to send Ben Duckett back, giving Akash Deep the first of his two wickets so far.
Coming in place of Jasprit Bumrah, the start wasn’t ideal for Akash as Zak Crawley hit him for two boundaries. But the Bengal pacer, after Duckett’s wicket, pitched one up to Ollie Pope for a leading edge. KL Rahul pouched it on the second attempt in the slip cordon.
A little later, a horrendous shot from Crawley earned Mohammed Siraj his first and India their third wicket. Gill and Co. surely couldn’t have asked for a better start with the ball in such batting-friendly conditions at Edgbaston.
The flat pitch has had little assistance for the bowlers so far, and the England attack, lacking bite in the first place, looked even more ordinary. But a delivery or two from Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root, who dismissed Washington Sundar, breaking his 144-run partnership with Gill, did hint at greater purchase for the spinners, especially on Days IV and V.
Besides, quite a few of the deliveries from Akash and Siraj kept a bit low as well. If India can break the partnership between Root (18 batting) and Harry Brook (30 batting) early on Friday, their hopes of taking a big first-innings lead will brighten further.
The conditions may continue to favour batsmen more till the end of Day III. But Gill’s masterful epic innings, comprising 30 boundaries and three maximums, and equally vital contributions from Jadeja (89) and Washington (42) have given this Bumrah-less Indian bowling attack more opportunity to keep attacking the already under-pressure English batting group.
Impeccable timing and placement continued to be the hallmark of Gill’s 509-minute-long innings. But more importantly, this innings from the captain could well go on to be the perfect spark for India’s turnaround in the series.
