Gill's day out again as India close in on Edgbaston breakthrough

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

New Delhi: At some point during these five matches, Jimmy Anderson will start to wonder why the two teams are playing for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. England, the land of swing and seam, is now home to roads masquerading as pitches and if this continues for a few more years, the memory of the brilliant swing bowler might fade at the rate of six runs per over. Shubman Gill celebrates his century in the second innings of second Test in Edgbaston on Saturday. (Action Images via Reuters)
Day 4 of the Edgbaston Test was like the first three — a dream for Shubman Gill and the other batters. The Indian skipper added a century, 161, to his 269 in the first innings — it took his match total to an India record 430 runs — and propelled India to 427/6 declared in their second innings. Only Graham Gooch, who scored 456 in all against India at Lord's in 1990, has made more in a single match.
Gill also became the first player to score a double century and a 150 in the same match. His knock allowed India to set a target of 608 runs for England in the fourth innings. In reply, England were 72/3 at close of play with Ollie Pope (24) and Harry Brook (15) at the crease. They still trail by 536 runs.
If India did bat on for as long as they did it was only perhaps a silent nod to what the hosts have done in the last match and the few years before that. But that was enough to have the Hollies chanting 'boring, boring India.'
Once India got through the first hour without too much damage — KL Rahul (55) played some delightful shots — the day was about the wait; the wait for India to declare their innings and the wait for England to begin their chase.
India had to be careful — they wanted enough overs to bowl England out but also enough overs to ensure that an England chase was made highly unlikely. On the second front, they should be content but if Day 5 winds to a close with England still having a few wickets in hand, Gill and Co will be disappointed.
The highest ever successful chase in Test cricket is 418 — West Indies against Australia in 2003, and in the history of Tests, there are only four successful chases over 400. Here, England will have to get way more than that. The highest successful first-class chase is 536.
But that is a conversation for another day because Saturday was all about another staggering performance by Gill. The Indian skipper can do no wrong in this series and his achievements have continued to pile up.
India were helped by the fact that at no point did they lose wickets in a flurry. A 51-run stand for the opening wicket was followed by partnerships of 45, 30, 110 and 175. This effectively shut the door on England's hopes in the most emphatic of manners.
The hosts didn't help themselves by dropping Rishabh Pant (on 10) when Zak Crawley messed up a straightforward catch at mid-off, off Ben Stokes. That got the left-hander started and his 65 allowed India to quickly get to safety and then Gill took over with elegant shots that rarely ever looked rushed.
The Gill-Jadeja partnership put the match out of reach for England. They may not accept it but at least a few of them might have started thinking of a draw being the best result they could get.
As perhaps Crawley did when his tired legs played a role in Mohammed Siraj dismissing him for a duck. It was a half-push forward, and the catch as taken at backward point.
There also was a small TV clip that showed Gill asking Siraj to persist with the fielders in catch positions and a widish line. 'This isn't like Leeds,' Gill told Siraj. And the next thing we had was a wicket.
Akash Deep, on the other hand, showed that with the new ball in hand he is among the best in the business. He sent back the dangerous Ben Duckett (25 off 15 balls) with a beauty that seamed just enough into the batter. Inside edge and bowled.
And then, as if to say that he's here to stay, Deep produced another beauty to hit the top of Root's off-stump. He went wide of the crease, angled it in and got it to leave the right-hander just enough.
The Indian new-ball bowlers, in comparison to their England counterparts, hit the deck harder, bowled a better length and got more movement too. It has given the visitors the start they wanted.
A long fielding stint isn't just about the runs the opposition scores. It is also about time spent chasing the ball, the mind wandering and mental fatigue. All these things will come into play on Day 5 as well. But India are almost there. Now, it comes down to belief and how badly they want it.