🇮🇳🏏 England vs India, 2nd Test – Day 1 Belonged to Shubman Gill’s Calm Storm
Edgbaston. A gloomy Birmingham morning. England win the toss and fancy bowling first, expecting early movement. India? Missing Jasprit Bumrah, and sending in a top order that looked slightly too fresh. But by stumps, all the chatter was about one man — Shubman Gill, who didn’t just survive — he owned the day.
🔥 Shubman Gill – Ice in the veins, steel in the wrists
The Gill everyone hoped would show up… finally did. On a flat-ish Edgbaston pitch that had enough spice early on, Gill played like he was starring in his own highlight reel. But make no mistake — this wasn’t reckless stroke-play. This was calculated elegance.
He came in when India were teetering at 17/2. KL Rahul flickered and faded. Karun Nair looked promising but edged out on 31. By the time Nitish Reddy and Rishabh Pant were back in the hut and India slumped to 211/5, it looked like the match could spiral away.
But Gill? He dug in.
He let the ball come. He waited for the English pacers to tire. And when they did, he blossomed. Every cover drive was poetry, every nudge was purpose. At stumps, he stood unbeaten on 114 off 199 balls, with the Edgbaston crowd — even the English fans — giving reluctant nods of respect.
🧠 The Jadeja Factor
Alongside Gill, Ravindra Jadeja did what he does best — silently shifting momentum without the spotlight. By Day 1’s end, he was 41* and already building what could be a match-turning partnership.
The pair have added 99 runs for the 6th wicket, turning India’s innings from “this could be 250 all out” to 310/5 and counting.
If they stick around for another session? England could be chasing leather all day on Friday.
🏴 Chris Woakes: England’s quiet warrior
While Gill was painting strokes, Chris Woakes quietly kept things real for England. He grabbed two crucial wickets and kept things tight while Brydon Carse made a mini headline for imitating Darren Gough’s famous tongue-out celebration — Gough later joked, “I did it better!”
The second new ball is in England’s hands. They’ll need to make it talk, and talk fast.
🧐 What’s at Stake?
Let’s not forget — India trail 1-0 in this 3-match series. They’ve already been stung once at Headingley. And Edgbaston isn’t always kind to visiting teams.
But with Gill in dreamland and Jadeja doing his thing, India might just be setting up the kind of first innings total that allows the bowlers — even without Bumrah — to breathe fire later on.
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