
Shubman Gill Scripts History, Becomes First Player In 148 Years To...
Gill shone with the bat on Satuday before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep again struck with the new ball as the tourists pressed for a series-levelling win at Edgbaston.
Gill declared India's second innings on 427-6 after tea on the fourth day.
That left England needing a mammoth 608 runs to go 2-0 up in this five-match series.
No side in 148 years of Test cricket have made more to win in the fourth innings than the West Indies' 418 against Australia at St John's in 2003.
England's corresponding record is the 378 they made against India at Edgbaston three years ago.
But at Saturday's close in Birmingham they were 72-3, needing a further 536 runs on the final day to achieve a win that would be remarkable even by this team's 'Bazball' standards.
Harry Brook, who helped keep England afloat in their first innings with 158 in a total of 407, was still there on 15 not out.
Siraj, who led India's attack with 6-70 in the first innings, struck an early blow Saturday when he removed Zak Crawley for a duck as a loose drive went straight to backward point.
Deep, given the unenviable task of replacing the rested Jasprit Bumrah, the world's number one ranked fast bowler, then carried on from his four-wicket haul first-time around by bowling Ben Duckett (25) with a nip-back ball.
He then clean bowled Joe Root for just six as the world's number one-ranked Test batsman was undone by a superb full-length delivery that moved away late.
Earlier, by taking his tally in this match to 430 runs, the 25-year-old Gill became only the fifth batsman to score 400 or more runs in a single Test.
Gill, thrust into the captaincy following Rohit Sharma's shock retirement from Test duty in May, has scored three hundreds in his first four innings as skipper following his 147 during India's five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Headingley.

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India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Lord's pitch chatter: Shubman Gill's subtle dig and England's growing headache
They had built a swagger around 'chasing 600' and intimidating visitors by out-batting them on featherbeds. The formula was simple: flatten the pitch, back the batters, and let the runs do the talking. It had worked consistently, spectacularly so. Just last month, they hunted down 371 in Leeds without breaking a Birmingham delivered a rude awakening. The pitch was flat-as England would've wanted-but it was India who made it count. Across two innings, the visitors piled on more than 1000 runs and handed England a monstrous fourth-innings target of 608. A challenge too steep, even for the self-styled revolutionaries of Test loss seems to have shaken England enough to spark a rare phenomenon: they've started complaining about their own pitches. For years, touring English sides have grumbled about turning tracks in the subcontinent. This time, it was Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum raising eyebrows—calling the Edgbaston surface "subcontinental" and implying it suited India more than the hosts. Curiously, no such concerns were raised in Leeds, where England chased 371 on a similar surface. Not a word was spoken when England chased 378 on the very same Birmingham pitch three years ago. But once they fell 336 runs short earlier this week in Birmingham, the pitch was suddenly up for debate. Selective memory, perhaps?GILL'S WELL-TIMED NUDGEOn the other hand, Shubman Gill, just two Tests into his captaincy, has already shown the kind of leader he's shaping up to be. Calm, compact, composed. No theatrics, no bravado. Just unwavering faith in his team and a quiet authority that's hard to miss. He helped India erase the scars of Leeds and raise the flag in Birmingham, delivering one of their greatest overseas wins in while he may not be one for verbal volleys, Gill isn't shy of a well-timed nudge either. At the post-match press conference, he danced down the metaphorical track and chipped one cheekily over mid-off:"Abhi dekhenge kaisa wicket dhe raha hai Lord's mein. Mujhe nahi lagta hai itna flat wicket dena wala hai woh. (Let's see what kind of pitch they give us at Lord's. I don't think they'll serve up something this flat again)."Delivered with a smirk, of course. Quiet confidence, sharp timing-just like his batting since arriving in ENGLISH DILEMMAWith barely any turnaround time, England now face a dilemma: a green pitch or a flat deck at Lord's? Should they go with a lively surface like the one used for the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia-or stick to the placid kind that has suited their style in the recent past?Let the numbers guide Joe Root's captaincy (2017-2022), England averaged 29.03 with the bat at Lord's, winning five and losing two. Since Ben Stokes took over, the average has climbed to ENGLAND HANDLE SPICE IN LONDON?Head coach Brendon McCullum sent a subtle message to the Lord's curator when he said he'd like "something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully" at the Home of Cricket later this the big question remains: can England afford to roll out a spicy pitch?Whenever India have been offered green tracks overseas, Jasprit Bumrah & Co. have outbowled the hosts. Be it Johannesburg in 2018, the twin London Tests in 2021, or Perth in 2023, Indian pacers have hunted blood on grassy Bumrah returning for the third Test and Akash Deep seaming the Dukes ball even on a placid pitch in Birmingham, India's pace attack looks in fine shape. Mohammed Siraj is buoyed by his six-for in Leeds. And if needed, they have Arshdeep Singh in reserve to bolster the battery. The tourists will almost certainly not mind a surface with a healthy covering of batting unit is also brimming with confidence. Without the baggage of the past, this young core, led by Gill, has already scored close to 2000 runs in two Tests. The likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant bring the added experience of having succeeded in tougher English meanwhile, head to London with growing doubts over their bowling unit. Chris Woakes, the designated leader in the post-Anderson-Broad era, has looked ordinary so far. Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse haven't delivered what England had hoped for-though, in fairness, the conditions haven't helped England have added Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson to their squad for the Lord's Test. But question marks hang over their fitness: Archer hasn't bowled in a Test since 2021 and has played only one first-class match since. Atkinson, known for his pace, is also coming off an injury importantly, do they trust their one-dimensional Bazball-era batters to grind it out if conditions get trickier?England are in a spot of bother. On a live broadcast, former India pacer Varun Aaron couldn't resist a cheeky dig-asking Jonathan Trott if England were thinking of bringing back James Anderson, still swinging it like a wizard in county cricket, a year after a flat pitch, and Gill's waiting. Serve up green, and Bumrah's licking his wouldn't want to be Stokes or McCullum this Lord's Test could well define the direction this series takes. England need to get the pitch right. But there's a deeper dilemma too: because against this Indian side, there may no longer be such a thing as a 'right' pitch.- EndsTune In


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG Test: Dinesh Karthik reveals conversation with Virat Kohli on Test captaincy, likens it with Shubman Gill
India's captain Shubman Gill plays a shot during day four of the second cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England. AP/PTI(AP07_05_2025_000371B) Former India cricketer turned cricket pundit Dinesh Karthik revealed the conversation he had with Virat Kohli before the start of the Edgbaston Test in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Karthik revealed the chat with Kohli was all about how Test captaincy brought the best out of him as a batter. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I met him a few days ago and we were just chatting generally. And this topic about captaincy came up," Karthik said on the Sky Cricket podcast. "And he said, you know, people think I'm a great Test cricketer and I enjoyed my Test batting — which I did. But the fact is that me getting my captaincy was the best thing to happen to my batting," he added. Karthik then compared Kohli's remark with what India's new Test captain Shubman Gill had said about batting and captaincy. 'Any attack of ours can take 20 wickets anywhere': Shubman Gill hails Mohd Siraj, Akash Deep after historic Edgbaston win "Why I'm saying that is the same line was used by Shubman Gill as well," said Karthik. "He said, I used to bat differently. But now, after I've got captaincy, I almost, when I'm batting, think this is what my team requires — rather than me wanting to do something individually as a batter — which I thought, wow. "Now, this is something the world of cricket has to take notice of, because here's a man who has the appetite, who has the skill, who's got the technique. "But now he's got the mindset as well that says, I'm a captain. I'm going to lead from the front, lead off the front foot. And we saw that in the last Test match. "I'm sure there are going to be a lot more Test matches for us to observe him. But it looks like he's on the right path." The five-match Test series is locked at 1-1, with the third match scheduled at Lord's, starting from Thursday. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
India vs England 2nd Test: Did Akash Deep get Joe Root with an unfair delivery? MCC issues verdict
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has officially clarified that Akash Deep's delivery that dismissed Joe Root during the recent Edgbaston Test was legal, addressing the controversy that emerged regarding the bowler's back foot position. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The MCC, which serves as the custodian of cricket laws, explained that the legality of a delivery is determined by where the foot first lands, not its subsequent position, putting to rest the debate that arose after footage showed Deep's back foot appearing to touch outside the return crease. The dismissal occurred during the second delivery of the tenth over when Akash Deep bowled Root with an incoming delivery during the second Test between England and India. The wicket proved crucial as it reduced England to 50/3 while chasing a target of 608 runs. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. The controversy began when television footage showed Deep's back foot potentially crossing the return crease, leading to discussions about whether it should have been called a no-ball. Several commentators, including former England batter Jonathan Trott during a studio discussion on JioStar, questioned the delivery's legality. Third umpire Paul Reiffel did not intervene on the delivery, while Chris Gaffaney and Sharfuddoula Saikat, the on-field umpires, allowed the dismissal to stand. Former India coach Ravi Shastri, who was commenting at the time, maintained that the delivery was legal. The MCC spokesperson provided a detailed explanation of the ruling: "On Day four of India's Test against England last week, there were questions raised about the delivery from Akash Deep which bowled Joe Root, with some fans and commentators believing it to be a no ball. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While Deep landed unusually wide on the crease, and some of his back foot appeared to touch the ground outside the return crease, the third umpire did not call a no ball. MCC is happy to clarify that this was a correct decision in Law," reported Cricbuzz . The MCC referenced Law 21.5.1, which states: "For a delivery to be fair in respect of the feet, in the delivery stride the bowler's back foot must land within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery." Further clarifying the interpretation, the MCC explained: "MCC has always defined the moment that the back foot lands as the first point of contact with the ground. As soon as there is any part of the foot touching the ground, that foot has landed, and it is the foot's position at that time which is to be considered for a back foot no ball." Akash Deep's dismissal of Joe Root created a flutter for being a no ball during the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston. (Image: Screenshot) The MCC concluded: "Clearly, at the point Deep's foot first touched the ground, the back foot was within and not touching the return crease. Some of his foot may have touched the ground outside the crease subsequently - that is not relevant to this Law. At the point of landing he was within the crease, and this was therefore rightly deemed to be a legal delivery." England were eventually bowled out for 271 on the final day, resulting in India's series-levelling victory by 336 runs in the second Test of the five-match series.