India in commanding position: Thanks to Gill’s wonderful century

Shilpa Rajan July 11, 2025

India has made a decent start in the second test against England at Edgbaston. After being asked to bat and losing KL Rahul early, the men in blue managed to post 310 runs on the board at the end of day 1. Skipper Shubman Gill scored an impressive ton to keep his side in the driving seat.

KL Rahul failed to deliver this time as he got out on a single-digit score. Karun Nair got a start, but he was unable to convert it into a big score. Pant also played a cameo knock before getting out on 25. Nitish Reddy made a poor start in England after getting dismissed on one. Jaddu stands at the crease on 41 and is looking comfortable with his captain. These two have added 99 runs for the sixth wicket.

India: Changes for the second test

The team from the sub-continent opted to rest Jasprit Bumrah for this test. According to the management, Bumrah can only play three tests due to workload issues. Sai Sudarshan, who made his debut in the first test, was also given a rest for this match. Shardul Thakur was the third player to be dropped from the playing 11.

Promising youngster and all-rounder, Nitish Reddy, was given a chance to play his first test in England. Washington Sundar also came into the side as another all-rounder option for the visiting team. Akash Deep was selected as the direct replacement for Bumrah.

Yashasvi keeps India in the driving seat

Yashasvi Jaiswal was criticised for his fielding in the first test. He dropped some crucial catches, and that was one of the reasons behind India losing the first test. His batting has not been an issue as the youngster smashed a ton in his first innings in England. This was Yashasvi’s chance to redeem himself.

KL Rahul departed early, and Karun Nair joined him in the ninth over. Jaiswal was the aggressor in this partnership. He smashed 48 runs in just 40 balls, and that brought the pressure back on the English bowlers.

The 23-year-old batted nicely with his captain. Jaiswal scored 27 runs in this partnership. The left-hander was closing on his sixth test ton, but Ben Stokes had other plans. Gill faced 90 balls in this partnership and Jaiswal only faced 41. Most of the time, he was on the opposite end. Stokes delivered a ball outside the off stump, and Jaiswal slashed hard at it. He was caught behind on 87.

Back-to-back tons for the new red ball captain

Shubman Gill came to the crease in the 24^th over. He has played with Jaiswal in the past couple of years and knew that they needed to build a partnership to keep their team in the game. Gill showed his technique and defensive skills against the English bowlers. He was not playing any loose shots and scored runs whenever possible.

After a slow start to the innings, Gill picked up some pace at the end of the day’s play. His partnership with Jaddu towards the end gave a massive boost to the Indian dressing room. Gill scored 55 runs in the 99-run stand with Jaddu. The Indian captain remains not out on 114 runs. His focus on the ball and ability to tackle the swing in England have impressed many.