Shubman Gill’s record-breaking 269 puts India in control at Edgbaston

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — India backed up Shubman Gill’s phenomenal 269 with three cheap England wickets on a dream day of test cricket for the visitors at Edgbaston on Thursday.

After Gill’s 8 1/2-hour innings led India to 587 all out — its highest score in England in 35 years — pacers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj found life in a seemingly lifeless pitch to reduce England to 25-3 with three edges into the slips cordon.

By stumps on day two, Harry Brook and Joe Root rebuilt England to 77-3, trailing India by 510 runs on the first innings.

Brook was 30 not out and Root 18 not out, but the day was dominated by Gill, the new India captain who calmly binged on a flat pitch to smash India test records.

England was knackered, understandable after sending the Indians into bat first then needing 151 overs and more than five sessions to bowl them out.

“Spending 151 overs in the dirt in any scenario is pretty tough. There’s some tired minds and tired bodies,” England assistant coach Jeetan Patel said.

“You put in that much effort and it’s not just physical, it’s mental as well. Credit to Shubman for the way he’s batted over two days, it was a masterclass in how to bat on a good wicket. The guys threw everything at them, and rightly so, but they’re very tired for their efforts.”

Gill took on the biggest load, responding to losing the first test in Leeds last week by taking on the responsibility of giving India a chance to tie the series.

He resumed the day on 114, back-to-back centuries in the series, and cruised through the morning and afternoon and never giving England a chance.

India was 310-5 overnight, he and Ravindra Jadeja saving them from 211-5. They extended their partnership on a serene morning to 203 until just before lunch when Jadeja, on 89, tried to fend off a Josh Tongue short ball that reared up, and gloved it to the wicketkeeper.

India’s tail was a weakness in Leeds but bowling allrounder Washington Sundar, brought in to help the batting, supported his skipper with 42 in a stand of 144. It ended just before tea when Sundar’s middle stump was hit by Root.

Gill went to tea on day two still looking as fresh and unfazed as he did when he first walked out to the middle just before lunch on day one.

Records galore

Day one for Gill was about saving India. Day two was about turning a big score into a position of authority. It came with records.

On 148 he passed his previous best test score of 147 in Leeds last week.

On 180, he had the highest test score by an India captain in England, eclipsing Mohammad Azharuddin’s 179 in 1990 at Old Trafford.

On 200, he became the seventh visiting captain to a test double century in England. He got there with a single to fine leg to his 311th ball faced, and his reaction was ecstatic, capped by a customary bow.

He’d upped his tempo as the day got older. The first 100 came off 199 balls, the second 100 off 112.

On 222, he had the highest score by an India player in England, passing Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 in 1979 at the Oval.

On 236, he had the second highest score by an Indian against England.

He reached 250 from 348 balls with his 29th boundary.

On 255, he grabbed the highest test score by an India captain, passing Virat Kohli’s 254 in 2019 against South Africa.

Gill came out of tea on 265 and reached 269, his highest first-class score, when his knock came to a tame end. He paddled a short ball by Tongue straight to Ollie Pope at square leg.

His 269 off 387 balls, including 30 boundaries and three sixes, earned him a couple of handshakes from England players and a standing ovation from Edgbaston’s crowd.

England took the last two wickets in about a half-hour, spinner Shoaib Bashir leading the bowlers with 3-167 from 45 overs.

Without its premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah — rested for the match — India’s attack had question marks. But Bumrah’s replacement, Akash Deep, silenced them in his second over when he dismissed first test centurions Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks in successive balls.

Siraj then knocked out Zak Crawley on 19 at 25-3.

Siraj almost had Harry Brook, too, but the batter survived a close lbw appeal on 1. Brook had another life in the last over, when he chopped on against Prasidh Krishna and shouldered the ball off the stumps that he almost then stepped on.

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