Record-breaking Gill double ton takes India to 564-7 against England

Straits Times

03-07-2025

BIRMINGHAM, England - Records tumbled as India skipper Shubman Gill stood tall with a commanding and unbeaten knock of 265 on day two of the second test against England, propelling the tourists to a mammoth total of 564-7 by tea at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Despite losing his overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja in the first session for 89 - the second India batter to miss out on a century after Yashasvi Jaiswal (87) - Gill looked completely at ease on a flat track that offered precious little assistance.
After resuming on an overnight score of 310-5, Jadeja and Gill had built a 203-run stand before the all-rounder fell to a Josh Tongue bouncer but Gill showcased his array of elegant drives and well-timed flicks to worry England.
As the home side's bowling attack toiled under the summer sun, Gill hardly broke sweat and had put a price on his wicket in the first session before he decided to accelerate the scoring rate after lunch.
Tongue was smashed for two boundaries in one over, the second nearly taking out two top order England batters when Joe Root and Zak Crawley almost collided near the boundary rope and fell together in a heap.
Washington Sundar had survived a barrage of bouncers when he walked in before lunch but soon dealt his own Tongue-lashing when he pulled the fast bowler over the fine leg boundary and into the stands.
Gill then brought up his 200 with a low pull shot to fine leg, with the 25-year-old taking off his helmet to make his trademark bow to a standing ovation as he became the first India skipper to score a double-hundred in England.
England captain Ben Stokes tossed the ball to part-timer Harry Brook and Gill punished him with three consecutive boundaries, breaking Sunil Gavaskar's 46-year-old record for the highest score by an Indian in England (221 in 1979).
Gill was soon toying with the attack and the placement of fielders, coolly switching between sublime and unorthodox shots as he dispatched the ball to all corners of the ground.
With Sundar playing patiently at the other end, Gill was in Twenty20 mode as they cruised past the 500-mark and a rare outside edge went for a boundary to take the captain to 250 as Brook sank to his knees with a wry smile.
He became the first Indian to score more than 250 outside the Indian subcontinent, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record of 241, while he also recorded the highest score by an India captain when he went past Virat Kohli's 254.
The 144-run stand for the seventh wicket was finally broken when Root came back into the attack and a delivery broke through Sundar's defence to crash into middle stump as he departed for a well-made 42. REUTERS