Gill’s marathon knock leaves England a mountain to climb
India pacers rattled England’s top order in their pursuit of a daunting target, leaving the hosts with an uphill task on the final day to salvage a result at Edgbaston.
India head into the final day comfortably on top as the England batters still need another 536 runs for a result in the second Test in Birmingham.
After India set a mammoth 608-run target at Edgbaston, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep ran through England’s openers, Zak Crawley (0) and Ben Duckett (25), as well as sending ICC No. 1 ranked Test batter Joe Root back to the dugout inside the first 11 overs of the final innings to put them in the driver's seat as India look to level the series.
Earlier, India skipper Shubman Gill was once again the star of the show for the visitors in the second innings, scoring a majestic 161 off 162.
The breezy knock from the 25-year-old made his 430-run (269 in the first innings) tally the second-highest in a single Test, only behind Graham Gooch’s 456 against India in 1990.
Most runs in a single Men's Test
| Player | Scores | Runs | Against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Gooch (ENG) | 333 & 123 | 456 | India |
| Shubman Gill (IND) | 269 & 161 | 430 | England |
| Mark Taylor (AUS) | 334* & 92 | 426 | Pakistan |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 319 & 105 | 424 | Bangladesh |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 400* & DNB | 400 | England |
India began the day at 64/1, following a terrific day of cricket that saw Jamie Smith and Harry Brook stage a fightback for England.
KL Rahul and Karun Nair’s stand was broken in the first hour on Day 4 by Bryson Carse after Nair nicked one behind to Jamie Smith.
Double-centurion Shubman Gill joined Rahul in the middle, but Rahul departed soon after for a well-composed 55, having anchored India's top-order.
Rishabh Pant (65 off 58) and the Indian skipper then began their fireworks for the fourth wicket, stitching together a counter-attacking 110-run stand that furthered India’s advantage.
Pant’s explosive knock came to an end in the 47th over when he tried to take the aerial route against Shoaib Bashir, with the ball falling safely into the hands of Zak Crawley, who was waiting at deep mid-off.
Red-hot Gill went on to follow up his record-breaking double century in the first innings with yet another century in the second innings at Edgbaston.
The 25-year-old became just the first batter in the format’s history to record a double century and a 150+ score in the same Test, and went past Sunil Gavaskar as well to take the crown of most runs for India in a single Men's Test.
After dominating the first two sessions, India once again flourished in the final session, with Jadeja helping himself to another half-century following a commendable 89 in the first innings.
India eventually declared their innings at 427/7, setting a mammoth 608-run target for the hosts.
Ollie Pope and Harry Brook will begin proceedings for the home side as they face a daunting task of needing 536 more runs to go 2-0 up in the series or survive the entire final day with seven wickets in hand for a draw.