Shubman Gill's symphony at Edgbaston: Abbey Road, not autotune
Well, over the course of 211 deliveries, Gill showed he could have easily belonged to an era of handlebar moustaches and unrolled sleeves, walking out to bat without a helmet on minefield pitches. As captain, he seemed entirely in his element - ignoring the noise of Bazball and the flamboyance of a teammate like Rishabh Pant, who has crafted his own high-octane version of Test-match batting.Gill's innings at Edgbaston felt like a love letter to vintage Test cricket - slow, gritty, and gloriously unhurried. He batted as if algorithmic strike rates didn't exist, wearing down an English attack that kept inventing new questions, even on a flat Birmingham pitch under a punishing summer sun.advertisementENG vs IND, 2nd Test, Day 1: HIGHLIGHTSAt 25, Gill became one of the youngest men to lead India in Tests. The promotion was swift, perhaps sooner than even he expected. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from red-ball cricket midway through the IPL, and Jasprit Bumrah choosing to manage his workload, Indian cricket turned to Gill - a player still trying to find his footing in the longest format.A white-ball prince, yes. But a Test match king in the making? That was still up for debate.LET THE BAT DO THE TALKINGAnd with two hundreds in three innings in England, Gill seems to have answered his critics.The latest came on the opening day at Edgbaston - a clean, composed 114 not out off 216 balls that placed him alongside Mohammad Azharuddin and Virat Kohli as the only Indian captains to score two hundreds in Tests in England. If his 147 in Leeds was a rebuttal to doubt, this one was something else. An unhurried display of his renewed hunger, his ability to enjoy the burden of responsibility.India had been jolted early. KL Rahul, one of the four centurions from Leeds, fell cheaply after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl. Karun Nair looked in good touch but was dismissed on the cusp of lunch. Gill, walking in at 4, needed to steady the ship. And he did. By stumps, he was still there, having shepherded India to 310 for 5 with a vital 99-run stand alongside Ravindra Jadeja.Captain @ShubmanGill rises to the occasion with a composed century in the 2nd Test vs England #ENGvIND 2nd TEST, Day 1 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar https://t.co/g6BryBp5Tw pic.twitter.com/9nbXztnBD5— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 2, 2025Yes, it wasn't a raging seamer at Edgbaston. But, the situation hadn't been easy. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 13 runs shy of a century, flashed hard and edged. Rishabh Pant fell into a well-crafted trap laid by Stokes for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Nitish Reddy shouldered arms to one that demanded defence. At 211 for 5, India looked wobbly. But Gill didn't blink.IN FULL CONTROLHe batted with remarkable discipline. Broadcasters noted a control percentage of 94. England went straight to the one soft spot they knew: the ball darting in toward his pads. But Gill was ready. He took guard a yard or two outside the crease to cut down LBW chances against Chris Woakes. Against the pace of Brydon Carse, he held his ground slightly deeper. Each adjustment felt deliberate.advertisementHe played with soft hands, trusted his defence, and rarely poked outside off. Where once he was prone to fishing at away swingers and exposing the gate to inswingers, here he was near watertight. He blocked, left, and occasionally punished. Out of the 211 balls he faced, 148 were dots. He resisted temptation. Bouncers were pulled with control. Floaters outside off were left alone. And if the bowlers missed, Gill didn't.Shubman Gill played just 4% false shots on the way to his Edgbaston century - that's the lowest figure for a Test hundred in England since records began in 2006. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/bn0AabPXEl— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 2, 2025GILL VS ENGLAND BOWLERSVs Chris Woakes - 29 off 58 balls - 86% controlVs Shoaib Bashir - 27 off 3 - 100%Vs Brydon Carse - 23 off 37 - 92%Vs Ben Stokes - 16 off 33 - 94%Vs Josh Tongue - 11 off 29 - 100%Vs Joe Root - 8 off 6 - 83%And context matters. India had coughed up over 800 runs in Leeds and still lost. The risk of collapse loomed large again. At 211 for 5, the wounds were fresh. But Gill was the balm - calm, clear, and composed. His innings steadied India and sent a signal to the dressing room: no more easy collapses. Not on his watch.advertisementFormer England batter Jonathan Trott summed it up neatly: "Nowadays, we're so used to soaring scoring rates. But today, Gill showed us an old-age attribute - putting a high price on his wicket. We saw glimpses of it in Pant and Reddy too, but Gill made the bowlers earn everything. There was a plan, a technique, and an intent. It was old-school. It was excellent."Before the series began, Gill spoke of wanting to be India's best batter, and of keeping leadership and form separate. That's easier said than done. And yet, here he is - steering the ship, and scoring runs.Yes, the team is in flux. Yes, Gill hasn't yet built the aura of a Kohli or a Ganguly. But the raw material is there.For now, he's scoring runs again. More importantly, he's doing it with poise in difficult conditions.Some feared India needed Gill the batter more than Gill the captain. That juggling both could cost them each. But at Edgbaston, the answer came.advertisementChill, bro. Gill's got this.- Ends
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Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Gill and the fire that burns deep within
It was just over six months ago that Shubman Gill paid the price for not making the most of his starts in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was dropped from the playing 11 for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the head-down trudge off the ground even before the warm-ups ended on Day 1 had spoken of a fire that burned deep within. India captain Shubman Gill. (AP) There was disappointment. It hurt. This wasn't something he wanted to understand. But when asked about it, all he had done was smile. Now, playing at a venue where India have never won, Gill did more than just grab his chance. His 269 (387 balls, 30x4, 3x6) was the cornerstone around which India's massive total of 587 runs was built. It is the highest score by an Indian in England, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's majestic 221 at the Oval in 1979. It is also the highest score by an Indian captain in Tests, surpassing Virat Kohli's 254* against South Africa in 2019. In reply, England reached 77/3 at close of play. The hosts still trail by 510 runs. For most of the innings, Gill had just smiled. When he was beaten, when he was forced to scramble, when he was joined by Ravindra Jadeja (89) in the middle with India on 211/5 but it was only when he got to the milestones did the fire burst out onto the surface. Usually, he just bows to the crowd. But here he let all the pent-up emotion out when he reached his century and then the double. He wanted this more than anything else and sometimes that is where it all begins. Gill seemed unflappable. A calm presence in the middle that is perhaps only distinguished by the sound of the ball hitting his bat. It is that sound that he was looking for in Australia but it is only now, in England, that he has found it again. The Indian Premier League helped. He scored 650 runs at an average of 50.00 and came into England in a good frame of mind. But the thing that has stood out the most in his batting in England has not been the shots but the defence. He looked to play everything right under his eye... as late as possible and the start to the innings had a very measured tone to it. While Yashasvi Jaiswal went for his shots, Gill took his time and the tight defence allowed him to do that. It also made the England bowlers look rather helpless. On a wicket like this, the bowling side have to keep plugging away and hope the batters make a mistake. But while many of India's batters did that, Gill simply didn't bite. The knock will also ensure that Gill's away Test record won't be questioned for a long time and that, in turn, should make him an even more confident skipper. There are some who might say that this is a flat track and they aren't wrong but how many of the other Indian batters truly made the opportunity count? Not alone Gill, however, didn't do it alone. He found an able ally in Jadeja, who showed why he is the world's top allrounder once again and then in Washington Sundar. The 203-run stand between Gill and Jadeja, followed by the 144-run stand between Gill and Washington helped India take complete charge of the match. The original definition of an allrounder is a player who would get into the team either as a batter or a bowler. But these days we have batters who can bowl and bowlers who can bat. Jadeja, however, fits the original definition to the T. He averages 34.75 with the bat and 24.54 with the ball — just the numbers alone place him among India's best batters and bowlers. Nothing bits and pieces about that and there are no caveats there either. The last time he played at Edgbaston, he had scored a century (104 off 194 balls) and this time, he got close again. His consistency is what sets him apart and that is something Washington would love to incorporate into his game. Not yet an allrounder in the Jadeja mould, Washington has shown over the course of his short career that he certainly has the batting chops. His 42 (103 balls) ensured that India's innings didn't come to an abrupt end as it did twice in the first Test and that allowed the visitors to put up a total that will allow their bowlers to keep attacking for the rest of the match. As if to make that point, Akash Deep picked up two wickets in two balls to peg England back right at the start of their innings. Mohammed Siraj followed it up with one of his own. Perhaps watching Gill made England think it was easy but Test cricket rarely ever is.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
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Gukesh defeats Carlsen for fifth win in a row in Zagreb
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Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
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Shubman Gill gets 'Indian Rolls-Royce' crown, draws awe for ruthless hunger to join Sachin, Kohli as India's next 'GOAT'
Shubman Gill scripted history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian skipper to score a double century in England. The 25-year-old stamped his authority over England with a 269-run knock to put India in the driver's seat. Shubman was under the scanner as a batter before the start of the series, but the added captaincy responsibility has worked well in his favour. Shubman Gill etched his name in history books on Thursday with a double ton.(@BCCI X) The talented batter is finally making a mark in red-ball cricket, silencing his critics with consecutive centuries on English soil. His double hundred at Edgbaston was a breakthrough moment — not only easing the mounting pressure on him but also firmly establishing his credentials as a worthy successor to Virat Kohli at the crucial No. 4 spot. With these standout performances, he's proving that he belongs at the highest level and is ready to shoulder greater responsibility. Former India pacer Varun Aaron was also highly impressed with Gill's showing total control in a knock of the highest quality, comparing the Indian skipper to Rolls-Royce. "He's just a brilliant player. In a land where they produce all the Rolls-Royces, we saw an Indian Rolls-Royce operate. So smooth, didn't give them a single chance in 269 runs. Generally when someone plays that many balls in a place like England, you definitely see a few chances go down, you see a few loose shots," Aaron said on ESPNCricinfo. His marathon knock of 269 from 387 deliveries, laced with 30 boundaries and three sixes, drew admiration from both teammates and opponents alike. Several England players walked up to congratulate him, while the Edgbaston crowd rose to their feet, offering a well-deserved standing ovation for the masterful innings. Aaron talked about Shubman's mindset and said he wants to be the greatest Indian batter like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and he is working towards it. "Just shows his mindset and composure and it just shows that Shubman Gill wants to be the greatest batsman India has ever seen. That's how he's operating," the 35-year-old further added in praise of the elegant batter. 'Shubman Gill will be disappointed, he didn't get a triple hundred' Meanwhile, the former Indian paceman asserted that Shubman would not be happy after missing a chance to score a triple century. "He'll be disappointed that he didn't get a triple hundred. He was looking so good. Very soft dismissal. I was really rooting for him to get a bigger hundred. We were all talking about daddy hundreds and Gill getting a big one. It really looked like he was digging deep to get one of his big scores - did get his biggest score," Aaron commented.
