2nd Test: Shubman Gill showed how complete a batter he is, says Jonathan Trott
Lauding Gill's marathon knock, which guided India to a mammoth 427/6d and set a target 608 for England, Trott said it was pure dominance from the 25-year-old to show his batting maturity. Gill also played a career-best knock of 269 along with Ravindra Jadeja's 89 in the first essay to take the side to 587.
'I honestly feel privileged to be here and witness that innings. I can't recall him giving the English bowlers even a single chance. The way he shifted gears - hitting sixes at will - without slogging, just pure cricket shots, was something special. Today, he showed how complete a batter he is. It reminded me of the previous Indian number four - almost a carbon copy of that genius. I don't think he could've dreamed of a better start to his first two Tests on this tour. Sure, he'd have liked to win at Headingley, but now he's hopefully set up a fantastic victory here tomorrow," Trott said on JioHotstar.
Former India pacer Varun Aaron also talked highly of the visiting captain and said Gill has done a lot of hard work for the England tour.
'Shubman just can't seem to put a foot wrong, and I hope this form continues for as long as possible. But it hasn't happened by chance. He's put in a lot of hard work — even during the IPL — to improve as a red-ball player. He's tweaked his tactics, changed his technique a bit, and you can see the results. When someone as talented as Shubman Gill puts in the hard yards, he steps into that 'legend' territory," he said.
Heading into Day 5, India are in a commanding position, with England still requiring 536 runs to chase down a mammoth target of 608 in Birmingham amid rain threat.
In the final session of Day 4, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep made early inroads into England's lineup, dismissing openers Zak Crawley (0) and Ben Duckett (25), before removing the world's top-ranked Test batter, Joe Root, within the first 11 overs of the innings. The fiery spell firmly placed India in control as they aim to square the series.
On Akash Deep's spirited performance and celebration, Aaron added, 'Akash Deep hasn't had an easy journey. He's from Bihar and had to try for different states because the Bihar Cricket Association has had its struggles. He eventually moved to Bengal - as an outsider - and had to earn his place among locals. He made a name for himself there. Coming from a small town in Bihar and performing like this for India in England, it obviously means the world to him. His celebration said it all - it was his way of saying, 'I'm here to stay'.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
ENG vs IND fifth Test: Rishabh Pant ruled out of fifth Test due to injury; N. Jagadeesan named replacement
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on Sunday (July 27, 2025) ruled out of the fifth and final Test against England after sustaining a fracture to his right foot on day one of the fourth match here. Tamil Nadu's N. Jagadeesan has been named as his replacement. "Rishabh Pant, who sustained a fracture to his right foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester, has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test of the series," the BCCI said in a press release. The 27-year-old Pant retired hurt on 37 on the opening day of the Test in Manchester and went for scans after taking a blow to his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off England pacer Chris Woakes. He, however, returned to bat after the fall of Shardul Thakur's wicket with India at 314/6 and went on to score an audacious fifty. "The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress and the team wishes him a speedy recovery," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in the release. "The Men's Selection Committee has named Narayan Jagadeesan as replacement for Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test, which begins on July 31, 2025, at Kennington Oval, London." India's updated squad for the fifth Test: Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Lottie Woad? Former Florida State star wins women's Scottish Open in professional debut
English golfer Lottie Woad, 21, made her professional debut in the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open with an incredible three-shot win. After completing at 21 under par at Dundonald Links, Woad won her first LPGA Tour championship in her professional debut. She is a rising star in women's golf owing to her dominant performance, which was capped by a final-round score of 68. England's Lottie Woad plays off the 1st tee during the Women's Scottish Open at the Dundonald Links, Irvine, Scotland, Sunday July 27, 2025. (Steve Welsh/PA via AP)(AP) Woad closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot triumph, without faltering when Hyo Joo Kim charged on a windy day at Dundonald Links. In her professional debut, Woad became the second player in three years to secure a victory on the LPGA Tour, succeeding Rose Zhang at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National. With her final score of 21-under 267, Woad took home $300,000. "I think it's quite hard to do that but very special to win in my first event. Everyone was chasing me today and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots,' she said. After making four birdies in seven holes to start, Kim and Woad shared the lead after the South Korean made birdies on the eleventh and twelfth holes. Woad remained composed, dropping just one stroke in the final round and making birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to take back control. She made birdie and celebrated quietly after finishing with a three-quarter wedge over a meandering burn to two feet. Her triumph will undoubtedly draw attention from all women's golfers. Also Read: England vs Spain: UEFA Women's Euro 2025 prize money - How much prize money will winners take home Who is Lottie Woad? Three weeks ago, Woad clinched the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour, which put her at the top of the women's amateur rankings. She was one shot away from a playoff in the LPGA major Evian Championship in France. The 21-year-old made the decision to become pro and skip her final year at Florida State after earning sufficient points for an LPGA card. Now that she has an LPGA title—the Women's Scottish Open is co-sanctioned with the LET—she is traveling south to Royal Porthcawl, Wales, for the Women's British Open. Woad first gained notoriety last year when she dominated the Augusta National Women's Amateur by making birdies on three of the final four holes. She claimed that the pressure was greater than what she experienced during her professional debut. 'I think Augusta, that was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win,' she said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
ANALYSIS-Soccer-English grit beats Spanish skill to secure Euro glory
By Philip O'Connor HT Image BASEL, Switzerland, July 27 (Reuters) - England were on the ropes often at the Women's Euros, and they always found a knockout blow, before beating Spain in a final penalty shootout to show that skill may be a way to dominate games, but it takes the heart of a lioness to win them. Chloe Kelly was the hero, firing in the spot-kick to ensure the defending champions retained their crown, but every English player had to dig deep to thwart a Spanish side who were best everywhere except on the final scoreboard. Down 2-0 at the break, England's tournament almost ended in the quarter-finals as Sweden looked set to cruise through, but Kelly and Michelle Agyemang dragged the champions back into the game with late goals before they won the penalty shootout despite having four kicks saved. They made heavy weather of Italy in the semis and again Kelly came to the rescue, scoring a 119th-minute winner to send them into the final despite another flawed performance. In contrast, Spain cruised, purring like the engine of one of the many sports cars that can be seen zipping along city streets in the more affluent parts of Switzerland. They beat the host nation, and eased past Germany in the semis to make the final. They met England in the 2023 World Cup final when a first-half goal set Spain on course for victory and their first major title. The story was almost a carbon copy on Sunday as they took the lead through Mariona Caldentey in the 25th minute. Led by playmaker Aitan Bonmati, the Spaniards sensed a weakness on England's left flank and probed it relentlessly until Ona Batlle came up with the cross for Caldentey to score. KELLY INTRODUCTION The introduction of Kelly before the break for the injured Lauren James strengthened that wing, and when Kelly set Russo up for the equaliser the tide did not exactly turn, but the belief of the English players certainly grew. Battered by a number of crunching tackles, fullbacks Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood continued to throw themselves into every challenge, while captain Leah Williamson made a lung-bursting run to create a late chance that hinted at reserves of energy not even she knew she had. Having been to the brink so many times, England believed. When the game finished 1-1 and the penalty shootout awaited, the English players seemed relaxed and confident, with their Spanish counterparts looking slightly more on edge. The Spaniards had the game in the palms of their hands for 120 minutes, but it began slipping away as Hannah Hamton started to save their spot-kicks, first from Caldentey and then from Bonmati, before Paralluelo fired her effort wide. Kelly made no mistake, lashing the ball into the net as the English fans in the stadium erupted in joy. "This is England, I think this is our moment, we've dug in for the 120 minutes, we've done what we needed to do to keep Spain out. It was just one kick and that was it and so we did that this time," Hampton said. For all their dominance, this is a final that Spain will feel got away from them. Despite all their success in recent years, they lacked the cutting edge they needed to get the job done, and when it really mattered, England had it in spades. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by ed Osmond)
