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| @Shubman Gill celebrates after completing his century vs England in 2nd test 2025 |
India vs England - 2nd test Day 1 @ Edgbaston (July 2, 2025)
Stumps: India 310/5
Toss and Team News
- On a cloudy sky at Edgbaston, England, after winning the toss, made a decision to bowl first, with Ben Stokes leading the team.
- India rotated three players, Jasprit Bumrah was left out because of back problems (a move that has been criticized), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep were brought in.
- England kept their XI of the opening Test and increased speed with Brydon Carse featuring once again
- But Chris Woakes got the visitors off to a strong start by bowling KL Rahul out on a golden duck, which led to a nervy start by the visitors
- Karun Nair (31) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (62*) at lunch helped the Indian top order get going and exploit the smooth conditions
- After lunch, Jaiswal kept going in a positive way, scoring 87 balls at 107, with 13 boundaries, dismissed sliced to the bowling of Ben Stokes
- Shubman Gill assumed leadership and settled in the 40s and eventually raced to his fifty off some crafty footwork
India middle-order had some hiccups: Pant (25) was caught off Shoaib Bashir, and Nitish Reddy (1) was clean-bowled by Woakes, putting the moment at a standstill
However, Gill struck a crucial alliance with Ravindra Jadeja, who made an unbeaten 41, and the pair saw the score ending at 310/5 at the end of the day.
Captain Knock: Gill, The Great Ton:
- As captain, Shubman Gill hit a not-out 114 off 216 balls and got his seventh Test century, and followed in the footsteps of legends of the game like Kohli and Gavaskar, and was among the few to score centuries in the first two Tests as captain
- He chalked up 12 fours in his innings-taking the innings under pressure and ensuring that India dictated the game.
Support & Bowling Insights of the Jadeja
- Ravindra Jadeja also played a handy 41 runs off of 67 balls with key boundaries to give more firepower to Gill
- Woakes (two wickets Rahul, Reddy), Bashir (Pant), Carse (Nair) and Stokes (who contributed) put England in order -- while the pace pairing of woakes and Carse stung India with the new ball
- The wicket is holding up well and appears batting friendly with little swing or seam as would be shown by the high scoring rate (~3.65 runs/over) .
- Having taken their score to 310/5, they have headed into Day 1 with an advantage and they will require a total between 550 and 600 to put the pressure on England significantly
Turning Points
- Gill's Leadership: that was highlighted in a century that turned the match around.
- England's effective Bowling: with new-ball swings and Woakes being a swing bowler.
- Lack of Bumrah: could harm the hopes of India to make use of English conditions in the future.
- Controversial moment: A decision was made to change ball and thus help English seamers- people of India complained about the ruling
- The near miss came to Jaiswal: his 87 put India into the game early but not making his second centurion left an impression.
What to Look forward to on the Next Day Activity
- Will India be able to break beyond 550? Strong efforts are needed of Jadeja and tail.
- Will England bowlers attack the opposition early with the new ball to get the lead down?
- Any turn and seam that happens to a pitch can change the momentum.
- Bumrah’s return? His participation may swing the scales.
Brief score:
India 310/5 (Shubman Gill 114*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87, Ravindra Jadeja 41*; Chris Woakes 2-59) vs England.