RESULT
2nd Test, Birmingham, July 02 - 06, 2025, India tour of England
587 & 427/6d
(T:608) 407 & 271

India won by 336 runs

Player Of The Match
269 & 161
shubman-gill
Live
Updated 06-Jul-2025 • Published 02-Jul-2025

Live Report - Shubman Gill and Akash Deep clinch victory for India

By Vithushan Ehantharajah (today), Matt Roller (yesterday)

India win!

India went into this game without Jasprit Bumrah. He was available for selection. There had been a week between Tests. India were 0-1 down. Logic dictated he had to play. He didn't. His replacement was Akash Deep and look at what he's done.
2 Akash Deep becomes only the 2nd Indian bowler to take a 10 Wicket-Haul in a Test in England, Chetan Sharma is the only other Indian when he took 10/188 also at Birmingham back in 1986.
Six wickets in the innings, to go with four earlier, with the match-winning catch taken by Shubman Gill, who left an indelible mark on this game, nearly scoring the most runs anyone has ever made in a single Test match. Special effort from a team that looked like the wrong one to respond to a defeat. But what did we know!
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Super SIraj

A spectacular catch from Mohammed Siraj puts India within one wicket of victory at Edgbaston - a ground where they'd never won a Test match - and a series scoreline of 1-1. Full stretch to his right. Flying parallel to the ground. Taking it in one hand. India have broken records, yes. But in this innings especially, they've been able to create some magic moments.
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Smith goes - Akash Deep has five!

It's a maiden five-wicket haul for Akash Deep, ending an eventful sequence of short pitched bowling...
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Deep was more than happy to play to Smith's strengths, digging short and seeing himself carted over backward square leg and midwicket for huge sixes. But a slightly wider short delivery, perhaps held back a little, offsets Smith, who ends up offering a catch right on the sponge. Washington Sundar takes it with ease...
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Jamie Smith, unmoved...

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Prasidh Krishna gets on the board!

Oh it's an awful shot from Chris Woakes.
Prasidh Krishna, on at the Pavilion End to bowl in tandem with Akash Deep, digs one into a length, straight. Woakes hops up, presumably to attempt to shovel the ball around the corner but ends up surprised by the bounce and maybe the pace. A tame catch to midwicket arrives and Edgbaston erupts!
India's first wicket of the second session, just as the clouds close in and the light starts to fade...
And now umpire Sharfuddoula has his finger up after an LBW appeal from Krishna, after a scrambled seam delivery decks in and clocks Smith on the thigh... but it's going well over! Smith, on 71*, is saved by the review.
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Jame Smith reaches fifty off 73

And then starts to motor!
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It looks a calculated assault on Washington Sundar, who was just being allowed to bowl, and causing the odd bit of discomfort. One delivery that spits and takes the shoulder of Smith's bat, around the corner beyond the catcher, takes him to his seventh fifty-plus score of his career.
But in the off spinners next over, Smith smashes him over wide long on, then guides him to third for four. After that first strike, a fielder was shifting out to midwicket, freeing up the strike down the ground, which Smith nails.
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India on top after three wickets in the morning session

England 407 and 153 for 6 (Stokes 33, Deep 4-58) need 455 more runs to beat India 587 and 427 for 6 declared
Akash Deep's early double strike and Washington Sundar's dismissal of England skipper Ben Stokes on the stroke of lunch have India on the verge of a series-squaring victory in this second Test at Edgbaston. England, trailing by 455, having not quashed talk of a potential record chase last night, will be up against it to even draw this match to preserve their 1-0 lead.
Deep's removal of Ollie Pope and Harry Brook inside the first 25 minutes of the first session gave way for a stand of 70 between Stokes and Jamie Smith. But midway through Washington's second over, a gorgeous amount of drift and enough turn clipped the left-hander's front pad ahead of the bat. Stokes's review was in vain.
Deep picked up where he left off on Saturday evening, pocketing another two wickets in a six-over morning spell. Ollie Pope was undone by steep bounce from a delivery full of a length, which reared up and forced the No.3 to defend into the ground and onto his own stumps. And then, Harry Brook was left hobbling - and trapped in front - with a wicket delivery that seamed in and caught Brook on the inside of his right knee.
Deep could have had more - and thus a maiden five-wicket haul - when another big seaming delivery cut-through Jamie Smith (on 9 at the time) only to miss leg stump. Smith had arrived on 83 for 5, a run shy of the score when he came to the crease in the first innings before unfurling a stunning 184 not out. He remains unbeaten on 32.
Shubman Gill seemed to be targetting Stokes' wicket more keenly, particularly with Ravindra Jadeja operating from the City End, replacing Deep after the drinks break. The England captain looked to have been given a life on 18, as he turned the left-arm spinner around the corner, only for the catch to drop shot of Gill at leg slip.
But Stokes was soon undone by Washington, the off spinner given a cursory couple of overs in the lead-up to the break that came up trumps.
On the evening of day four, England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick had ceded that, of course, a draw would be regarded as a positive result for England. That became a lot more attractive to the hosts following the morning showers which took 10 overs out of the day, even if the required rate to clear the remaining 536 runs was “only” 6.7 an over. Now, a third 400-plus defeat for Stokes and McCullum's England looms.
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England counter-attack

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One of England's batting pillars is for players to feel comfortable batting however they see fit to achieve what needs to be achieve. And in this case, while it is time, the odd boundary does help grease the wheels; moving individual scores along, annoying bowlers, and spreading the field.
As case in point is the above sequence, featuring a leg glance and a ferocious pull from Ben Stokes, as Mohammed Siraj veers a little too straight, and then short. At the start of the next over, Jadeja, around the wicket to Smith, gets swept behind square for a third boundary in six balls.
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Drinks - England 110 for 5 with 498 to get

Just a special, special spell of bowling from Akash Depp through to drinks. He bowled eight overs last night, including one at the City End, and has stitched together six so far for his 2 for 22.
He's move the ball both ways, at high pace, and is perhaps unlucky not have three wickets - and thus a five-bag - already. Another beauty of a seamer into the right-hander cut through Jamie Smith (on 9 at the time) but somehow missed leg stump!
India have used him well, vindicating their tactics yesterday. He was able to get seven overs up top with the brand-spanking new ball, and has made hay in the period when the lacquer comes off the rough gets the perfect fuzz. Plus the cracks have opened up, exaggerating what movement there is off the surface.
Deep is now taking a break after drinks, with Ravindra Jadeja into the attack.
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Jessop this, Jessop that

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Brook goes LBW!

And it's Akash Deep again, with a stunning delivery - seaming in so wickedly, and at pace, that it pins Harry Brook on the inside of his left knee, missing the pad altogether.
He limps down the crease and eventually opts for a review. The only purpose that serves is to give us a few close-ups at just how much that delivery moved. Brook's off-stump guard ended up being the death of him, really, but he was comprehensively beaten for that.
Out walks Jamie Smith on 83 for 5, one run shy of the score when he walked in on day three on his way to a staggering 184. One thinks he'll take an altogether different tact here... though he has just punched his third ball off the back foot through the covers for four.
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Akash Deep strikes!

It was a surprise to see Akash Deep operate from the City End this morning, with Prasidh Krishna given the first over from the end that Deep did all the damage last night. But what do I know...
A delivery just full of a good length leaps up, surprising Pope and forcing the No.3 to play onto his own stumps. Deep celebrates wildly and the crowd - majority India fans today - go wild. They're living every delivery and adding to pressure in England at the moment.
Ben Stokes, golden duck in the first innings, gets a couple away through square leg to immediately move off his pair.
India need six more...
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The hover cover is off!

And we have session timings! There will be 80 overs in the day, spread over the following;
1st session 12:40 to 14:30
Lunch 14:30-15:10
2nd session 1510-1710
Tea 1710-1730
3rd session 1730-1900
India's bowlers are already out there warming up on one of the side strips as the stumps are put into the ground.
"6.7 an over - it's on!" - Andrew Miller
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Cheers from Indian fans in the stands - and for good reason

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Another brief shower, and now some drizzle...

Typically, as soon as the inspection was due, the rains hit once more.
All the covers are on - hover, run-ups, square - and there are a few umbrellas still up in the stands, but it does seem to have stopped raining.
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The sun has returned!

Glory be, the clouds have parted, we have glorious natural light and the covers are being peeled off.
The mop-up started about 20 minutes ago and the puddles that had formed on the edges of the square are now pretty much gone. The supersopper is doing the business and the ground staff are just pushing the water off the square covers.
We could probably do with a bit more sun and wind - there currently isn't any - just to speed up the drying process. As of now, beyond an obviously delayed start, we have no news yet on whether there will be an early lunch.
There will be an 11:45am inspection
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The heavens have opened...

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Good (bad?) morning folks...

It's not the prettiest sight to wake up to, but I'm afraid it's what we've got here in Birmingham.
There was some rain overnight and then a fair chunk this morning that, for now, has stopped. But the hover cover has been put back on and the clouds are looking a little more ominous.
The equations when play actually does begin - we're not certain just yet if it will be a delayed start - are straightforward. India need to take seven more wickets (could Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep bag all 20 between them?) to square this series 1-1, and England need to decide whether they're going to swallow their pride and wear a bit of reputational damage for a draw or push like loons for the remaining 536 runs.
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India on top

England 407 and 72 for 3 need 536 more runs to beat India 587 and 427 for 6 declared (Gill 161, Jadeja 69, Pant 65)
India need seven fifth-day wickets to beat England at Edgbaston and head to Lord’s with the series level. It would be a first Test win as captain for Shubman Gill, who followed his 269 in the first innings with 161 in the second, declared at drinks to set a world-record target of 608, then watched Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep prise out England’s top order.
The fourth day was dominated by intrigue about the timing of India’s declaration, which arrived far later than many expected and left England facing an ideological problem. After a single draw – and that one prompted by two days of rain – in the last three years, would they finally tone down their approach with the bat and accept that winning was off the table?
The answer will only become clear tomorrow, with two of the three wickets that fell on Saturday evening owing to Deep’s skill rather than their batters’ attacking intent. By the close, Ollie Pope was clinging on after a working-over from India’s seamers, and the notion that England could score more than 500 runs on the final day seemed academic.
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Stumps, day four

England survive. A huge day's play tomorrow, with India seven wickets away from levelling the series. How will Stokes and his men respond? Will they play for the draw? Or will they still try to get the target? Judging by the ticket sales - 15,000 already sold out (Adults 25 pounds, kids 5 pounds) - everybody's desperate to find out.
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Deep again!

That is an outrageous ball from Akash Deep, who has bowled brilliantly in this Test match. He goes full to Joe Root, angling one in that decks away off the seam to beat the outside edge of an attempted whip through mid-on, and crashes into the stumps. India are rampant. How did they leave Deep out at Headingley?! He has been a revelation at Edgbaston.
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Hussain off his long run

Nasser Hussain is laying into Zak Crawley on Sky Sports' commentary, describing his shot selection as "mind-boggling" given the context of the match and the scale of England's target. He makes a fair point: it was blatantly obvious in England's first innings that it was significantly hardly to bat against the hard new ball than after 20 overs, once it had gone soft, and runs are almost an irrelevance in this situation.
Crawley would doubtless argue that the ball was there to be hit - full, outside his off stump - and that he wanted to put some pressure back on Siraj. But whatever the thought process, the outcome was a seven-ball duck.
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Duckett goes

“Stand up if you still believe,” sing the England fans in the Eric Hollies Stand, rising to their feet as they do. Barely two balls later, their task becomes even harder than it already was: Akash Deep, bowling around the wicket, angles on into Ben Duckett which then nips in sharply off the seam to take his inside edge and deflect onto the stumps. India are flying!
Duckett's score - 25 off 15 - suggests that he has been teeing off; in fact, he has just been playing as he always does, looking to put bad balls away and rarely leaving the ball alone. Joe Root is the new man at No. 4, and has a huge job on his hands.
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Siraj gets Crawley!

A seventh duck for England in the Test, and a seventh wicket for Mohammed Siraj! Ben Duckett slices Siraj away for four, flicks him off his pads for four more, and punches him away square for three - without really playing a particularly aggressive shot - but Crawley slashes his first ball from him into the gully. It's a loose shot, driving with hard hands outside his off stump, and substitute fielder Sai Sudharsan takes a sharp catch. One down, nine to go for India.
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How will England play this?

This is a real test of England's approach. They have only drawn once in the last three years - when rain ruined the final days of the Manchester Ashes Test in 2023 - and claim to have no interest in them. Harry Brook said last night that they would try to score any target:
"I think everybody in the world knows that we're going to try and chase whatever they set us."
But this target is so big - requiring England to score at almost a run a ball across three-and-a-half sessions - that their main goal must surely be to avoid losing 10 wickets. Zak Crawley gives an early indication that they might not go all-guns-blazing by leaving the first two balls of the innings alone, and plays out a maiden.
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India declare: England need 608 to win

India have declared at the drinks break. England need an improbable 608 to win - which would be the record in all first-class cricket - but the more relevant consideration is that India need to take 10 wickets in around 108 overs.
Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj are out there getting loose. The declaration has come later than almost anyone expected, but I don't think it's totally without logic. India still have a long period of time in which to bowl England out - it only took them 89.3 overs in the first innings - and an England win is almost unfathomable, given they'll need to score at more than 5.5 runs per over.
The timing of it also means that Siraj and Deep will still be able to bowl with a newish ball tomorrow morning, and we have seen across this match how hard it has been for both teams' attacks once the ball has gone soft.
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Gill goes... but India bat on!

Shubman Gill is teeing off, slog-sweeping Joe Root for six and swinging Shoaib Bashir over midwicket for another. He finally falls, mistiming an attempt to haul Bashir over the leg side and skying it back to the bowler, and gets a standing ovation for his 161.
But to everyone's surprise, Nitish Kumar Reddy walks out to replace him. India bat on. "Boring, boring India," chant the England fans in the Eric Hollies Stand, as the lead creeps up towards 600. How many is enough?!
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Superb Shubman

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England need a first-class record

England's target has just crept past the 536 that West Zone chased down against South Zone in the 2010 Duleep Trophy, the all-time record in first-class cricket. Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain share a giggle on Sky Sports when they find out that the losing captain was their commentary colleague Dinesh Karthik, whose declaration backfired!
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Out comes the sword

Ravindra Jadeja cuts Joe Root away for four through backward point, and brings up his half-century off 94 balls. That's 50 in both innings for him. He will have a big role to play with the ball as India hunt 10 English wickets, and has just been warned by umpire Chris Gaffaney after taking his characteristic couple of strides - as he weighs up whether or not to take a single - in the 'danger area' on a good length.
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Jadeja changes gear

Ravindra Jadeja has - finally - had enough of knocking it around, and slams the first ball that he faces after tea back over Shoaib Bashir's head for a straight six. Nasser Hussain, on Sky Sports commentary, is dumbfounded.
"Very odd. Why does it take a tea break for someone to say, ‘Right, let’s get on with it.’ Every moment in a Test match – whether it be the moment after tea, or the moment before tea – is important. If they have England nine down and go to Lord’s 1-0 down, they will look at that half-hour before tea and say, ‘Why does it need the coach to tell us to get on with it?’"
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Tea: India grow their lead

Tea - India 587 and 304 for 4 (Gill 100, Pant 65, Rahul 55) lead England 407 by 484 runs
Shubman Gill cruised to his second hundred of the match, and his third in four innings as captain, as India continued to dominate England in the second Test at Edgbaston. Gill reached tea unbeaten on exactly 100, weighing up the timing of his declaration in the knowledge that England will require a world-record run chase whenever he decides to pull the plug.
Gill and Rishabh Pant put on 110 in 103 balls for the fourth wicket as India shifted gears after lunch, with Gill following Pant’s lead after a composed start to his innings. He accelerated from 25 off 47 balls to a 57-ball half-century, repeatedly pulling Josh Tongue into gaps between deep fielders on the leg side, then bedded in to reach a 130-ball century two overs before tea.
Pant’s chaotic cameo ended with his bat at midwicket and the ball in the hands of Ben Duckett at long-off, as he gave Shoaib Bashir his only wicket so far in England’s second innings. He had raced to 41 off 35 balls by lunch and added 24 off 23 in the middle session; Zak Crawley’s dropped catch at mid-off ultimately cost England 55 runs.
Gill was joined by Ravindra Jadeja, promoted above Nitish Kumar Reddy to No. 6, who played with a bizarre lack of attacking intent to reach the break 25 not out off 68 balls. His partnership with Gill was worth 68 off 130 balls as the match settled into a holding pattern, with India happy to bat on and grind England’s bowlers further into the ground.
Gill’s aggregate of 369 runs in the match is the record for an India batter in a men’s Test, beating Sunil Gavaskar’s 344 against West Indies in 1971. He has already scored 524 runs in four innings as captain, and could threaten Don Bradman’s all-time record of 974 runs in a series if his form continues.
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Leaky Bashir

3.79 Shoaib Bashir's economy rate after 4,000 balls in Test cricket - the highest for any spinner who has bowled as many balls as him, and the sixth-highest for any bowler.
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India lead by 450

We're in a holding pattern. Ravindra Jadeja has played with a bizarre lack of intent - he's 7 off 30 balls - and is dominating the strike, with Shubman Gill stuck up the non-striker's end. Ben Stokes has brought himself on after a mammoth spell from Josh Tongue, and is bowling to a seven-two leg-side field from around the wicket when Gill is on strike.
No sign of an imminent Indian declaration, but they surely don't need many more runs? My best guess is that they will pull out at tea, and give themselves four full sessions in which to bowl England out.
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Chasing the Don

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Will England change their approach?

Michael Vaughan has been wondering just that on the BBC's Test Match Special, with England now guaranteed to be set a world-record run chase. Is there any world in which they'll look to block out if they lose early wickets?
"We are thinking that this England team have matured slightly and become smart so I am hoping that they can see a draw here as a get-out-of-jail because in a couple of months a draw in Australia could end up being necessary."
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Jofra watch

Jofra Archer, wearing a flourescent yellow bib, is walking around the boundary edge with Jeetan Patel, England's assistant coach. He is serenaded by the Eric Hollies Stand, who chant his name to two different tunes, and applauds to thank them for their support.
Archer looks increasingly likely to feature at Lord's next week after being named in the squad for this second Test, which would end a four-and-a-half year absence from Test cricket - primarily due to a series of back and elbow injuries.
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Record chase required

England will have to break the world record for the highest fourth-innings run chase in Test history if they are to go two-nil up in this series, as Shubman Gill clips Shoaib Bashir off his pads for a couple to take the target past the 418 that West Indies hauled in against Australia in 2003.
Here is the all-time list, with the 387 the highest target successfully chased in an England vs India Test.
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Pant goes...

...and his bat goes flying, again! He gives Shoaib Bashir the charge and nearly swings himself off his feet in the process. The bat lands at midwicket, near Brydon Carse, and the ball is safely pouched by Ben Duckett at long-off. Pant goes for 65 - which means Crawley's early drop cost 55 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja is in at No. 6, promoted ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy after his first-innings 89. That also means that India will maintain a left-right partnership.
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The runs keep flowing

92 Balls taken for Gill and Pant's 100-run partnership
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50 for Gill - again

Shubman Gill was 25 off 47 balls, and brings up a 57-ball half-century with another nailed pull through mid-on. Incredible acceleration. His run of scores as India's captain - and No. 4 - now reads: 147, 8, 269, 55*.
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Not much subtlety in England's plans after lunch. Josh Tongue is running in and bowling short to a six-three leg-side field, but Shubman Gill isn't in the mood to duck and weave. He clubs him over fine leg for six, then swats him through wide mid-on and pulls hard through midwicket, the ball bursting through Ben Stokes on its way to the boundary. India are on the charge!
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Lunch: India take control

Lunch - India 587 and 177 for 3 (Rahul 55, Pant 41*) lead England 407 by 357 runs
Rishabh Pant’s chaotic cameo helped India stretch their lead to 357 on the fourth morning at Edgbaston, after KL Rahul’s calm half-century laid the foundations for him. Dropped on 10 by Zak Crawley, Pant threw the bat – quite literally, collecting it from square leg after losing grip – to reach 41 not out off 35 balls at the lunch interval.
Rahul, resuming on 28, ticked over under gloomy skies, with the floodlights on throughout the first session. Brydon Carse caused him some problems, but was all over Karun Nair: he hit him on the grille with a lifter, had him edging into the gap between first and second slip, and finally had him caught behind on the drive for 26.
Rahul progressed serenely to his half-century but was cleaned up by Josh Tongue, who was rewarded for sticking to his full length despite being driven for boundaries. Angling the ball in from wide on the crease, Tongue found some late movement away off the seam to beat Rahul’s outside edge, and remove his middle stump.
Pant made his intentions clear by charging his fourth ball and slapping it back over Tongue’s head for six, and was reprieved when Crawley put a straightforward chance down at mid-off off Ben Stokes. He responded by slog-sweeping Tongue for another six, and hauled Shoaib Bashir for three boundaries in as many overs.
Shubman Gill batted with more composure at the other end, and faces a decision later in the day around how many runs India should look to set England. It was three years ago today that England completed their record run chase – against the same opponents, at the same venue – but they will likely need far more than 378 to take a two-nil series lead.
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Chaos!

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Edgbaston has descended into carnage since Crawley's drop of Pant. Pant has 32 off 21 balls, and is quite literally throwing his bat: he attempts to pull Josh Tongue away for six, loses grip of the bat handle, and his bat ends up at backward square leg.
He's playing some outrageous shots, attacking almost every ball he faces, and is scoring at a strike rate of nearly 150. He tells Shubman Gill on the stump mic during Shoaib Bashir's next over that he will play straighter, and calmly tucks one off his hip into the leg side.
23 Sixes by Rishabh Pant in England, the most by a batter in overseas Tests (excluding Pakistan's 'home' games in the UAE).
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Crawley drops Pant

Ben Stokes puts three men out on the leg-side boundary with Rishabh Pant on strike, so Pant charges down and looks to loft him over the off side. He miscues it, and picks out mid-off... but Zak Crawley somehow puts down a routine chance, and Pant gets a reprieve on 10. How costly will that prove?
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Pant on the charge

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An eventual over. Rishabh Pant charges down to his first ball and misses out, then yanks Tongue around the corner for four down to long leg and skips down to smack him back over his head for a clean, straight six. He is 10 off 5 balls, and does not look like a man who is going to hang around...
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Tongue's full pint

Clonk! Josh Tongue went very full in his first over of the day and was punished, but starts his second with an absolute beauty which takes KL Rahul's middle stump clean out of the ground. It's 86mph/138kph, angling in from wide on the crease before shaping away off the seam to beat the outside edge as Rahul looks to work through mid-on, and Tongue grins in celebration.
10 Josh Tongue is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far with 10, despite conceding more than 4 runs per over.
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KL passes 50

KL Rahul made 137 in India's second innings at Headingley, and has now reached 50 in the second innings here at Edgbaston. He got stuck in the first innings, with 2 off 26 balls, but has played positively from the outset second time around, and reached his half-century with a firm punch through wide mid-off as Josh Tongue overpitches.
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Smith up to the stumps

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England have set a subcontinent-style field for Chris Woakes, with two men catching in front of the wicket on each side and a solitary slip. Jamie Smith has also put his helmet on and come up to the stumps, and gathers cleanly as KL Rahul leaves one alone outside his off stump. The end of the over signals drinks, with India shading the first hour.
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Nair falls

Brydon Carse has bowled an excellent, hostile spell from the Birmingham End and gets his reward with the wicket of Karun Nair. His line has been immaculate, in the channel outside off stump, and he goes fuller to intice the drive here.
Nair is suckered into it and edges through to Jamie Smith to finish this match with two in-between scores of 31 and 26. Those are his second and joint-third highest scores in Test cricket - after his famous 303 not out in Chennai.
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Carse hits Karun

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Karun Nair takes a brute of a delivery from Brydon Carse on the grille of his helmet, with some shape back in off the seam from short of a length leaving him unable to take sufficient evasive action. Carse tests him again with a back-of-a-length follow-up, but the outside edge flies into the wide gap between Joe Root and Harry Brook at first and second slip. Things aren't falling England's way this morning.
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England's approach

Most of the damage has been done by the new ball in this Test, but England have only managed one wicket in the first 15 overs of this innings and have been guilty of hunting for wickets with their lengths, generally erring on the full side.
Ben Stokes has a real challenge to strike the right balance between attack and defence, as epitomised by KL Rahul's second boundary of the morning: his edge flies past Harry Brook, the second of the two slip catchers, with three men in catching positions in front of the wicket (cover, midwicket, square leg).
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Smith: I had to check if Siraj was on a hat-trick

Jamie Smith played a phenomenal innings yesterday, dragging England back into contention with his unbeaten 184 - a record score for an England wicketkeeper, or for an England No. 7.
He hit his first ball for four to deny Mohammed Siraj a hat-trick in the second over of the third day, and has just revealed on Sky Sports that he was in such a rush to get ready, he had to check with Harry Brook if it was a hat-trick ball.
"I didn’t really have too much time to think. I think everything happened so quickly, being a hat-trick ball. I actually said to Brooky at the time, ‘Is it a hat-trick ball?’ I didn’t even know he’d got out first ball."
Smith raced to an 80-ball hundred, his second in Tests, and said he had clarity in his mindset from the outset on a good batting pitch.
"I was clear about the way I wanted to go about things in general. I knew it was a good wicket, stood behind the stumps for 150 overs. I knew the surface it was. It was about putting them under a little bit of pressure as well.
"In that situation you can prod and poke around a little bit and maybe get bowled out for 200, but I didn’t think that was the way to go about things; it was to put my foot down a little bit, and show that no matter the situation we’re in, we can still fight back.
"You have those days where everything seems to hit the middle; your inside edges don’t hit the stumps, and your outside edges go into the gap. You have to ride that and while you’re playing like that, be quite free and keep it quite simple."
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India's dilemma

Good morning from a cloudy but dry Edgbaston, where both teams are warming up ahead of the second Test. India are clearly in control of this match but Shubman Gill, their captain, has a dilemma today: after England's run chase at Headingley last week, what sort of target does he feel comfortable setting?
Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, was discussing that issue last night on the BBC's Test Match Special:
They're so far ahead of the game. They're 244 runs in front. They should just play the game naturally. You bat the first two sessions. You would think they'd score 100 in each session, if not a bit more, so that gives them 450 just after tea. I don't care who the teams are: chasing 500 has never been done in the history of the game. If 500 isn't going to be enough, you've bowled crap.
If I was him [Gill], I'd be thinking, 'Get to 500,' and I'd want England batting tomorrow night... I'd want to go to sleep on day four with England at least two wickets down.
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Day 3, in a nutshell

Here's a teaser from the Day 3 report:
Day Three’s claim on the “moving day” moniker in a Test match was given extra credence at Edgbaston on Friday. Because while the situation in this second Test at stumps was not all that different to how it began - India ahead by plenty, and England ruining various mistakes with ball and then bat over the previous two days - this was as stirring, emotional and mesmerising as this format gets.
It began with Mohammed Siraj prising out Joe Root and Ben Stokes with successive deliveries in the second over of the day, and he would close England's innings with the final three to finish with 6 for 70. This was Siraj’s fourth five-wicket haul, and first on these shores, confirming a first-innings lead of 180 that would eventually swell to 244 by the close, for the loss of just Yashasvi Jaiswal, trapped lbw by Josh Tongue.
In between, however, Jamie Smith’s unbeaten 184, of which the first century clocked in at a joint-third fastest 80 deliveries, alongside Harry Brook’s 158, dared England to believe they might wipe out India’s opening effort of 587 despite having to rise from the canvas. From 84 for 5, Smith struck Siraj’s hat-trick delivery back past him for four and did not look back, while Brook occupied his slipstream for an initial retaliation that turned into a calculated occupation of the crease and time.
England were eventually parted for 303 in the evening session, England’s second-highest stand for the sixth wicket. On a new ball pitch, the second one had done the trick, as Akash Deep seamed one through Brook’s bat and pad off a length, disturbing the time. That would be the first of the final five wickets to fall - Deep removing Woakes for the next one, and his 4 for 88 - for just 20 runs in 7.2 overs. As KL Rahul’s 28* led a quick dart to 64 for 1 with dark clouds looming, England had snapped out of their Smith-inspired fever dream and were back in cold, dank reality.
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Who holds Edge-baston?

That England started day three at 77 for 3 feels like ages ago. So much has happened since. Two wickets in two balls for Siraj to make it 84 for 5, a mind-blowingly counterattacking stand of 303 between Smith and Brook for the sixth wicket, a collapse of 5 for 20 triggered by Akash Deep and Siraj (who finished with 6 for 70), and then a counter-punch by Jaiswal and Rahul.
At the end of the day, India are effectively 244 for 1. Out of those, 64 runs have come in 13 overs in the second innings after they went 180 up in the first. But overall, the day belonged to Smith and Brook. While Brook was more patient, Smith showed what Bazball is all about. He walked out to face the hat-trick ball, but bashed, swung and heaved boundaries at will to blow India away in a session.
But with two full days of action left, who really knows what else is left to be seen?
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Tongue traps Jaiswal

Stokes wasn't convinced that Jaiswal reviewed it in time. But umpire Sharfudoula was. Eventually, India end up losing not only Jaiswal after an attacking cameo but also a review early in their innings. India 51 for 1 in 7.4 overs after Tongue beats Jaiswal on the drive to check an aggressive start by the openers. The lead is 231.
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The clouds are in, the lights are on...

But India, so far, are doing just fine.
KL Rahul has driven nicely and, moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal has punished both Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes for daring to drop short to him. The lead is back north of 200.
It's worth noting that Woakes has not bowled since the first hour of Thursday's morning session. On the other hand, Carse was struggling with a foot injury yesterday and does seem to be moving gingerly between deliveries, while clearly giving his all when he runs in. A thrilling, fever dream of a day for England may be ending with reality check.
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England 407 all out - India lead by 180

England lose their final five wickets for 20 in 7.2 overs.
It's not fair to say the wheels have come off. But the early damage early on has meant that as soon as Brook and Smith were prised apart with the new ball, India were back in this.
Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep have bowled brilliantly at the lower order, and share all 10 wickets between them. Deep snared Woakes caught in the cordon, before Siraj removed Carse and Tongue with straight deliveries moving in late and pinning the pads. It's a deserved five-wicket haul for Siraj and he makes it 6 for 70 as Shoaib Bashir leaves a straight one!
Bashir had just been sconned by a brutal short ball from Siraj. Every one of the India fielders came in to check on him, Siraj being the first, Bashir assured them that he was fine, with England's physio on to double-check.
By the way, the dismissal of Carse was the 10,000th duck in Test cricket. Make that 10,002, then, after that finale. England have had six ducks in their total of 407 - the first time anyone has had that many in a 400-plus score.
It means Jamie Smith is not only stranded unbeaten on 184, but has to charge off to get ready for keeping duties. He's somewhat robbed of a long ovation for what has been one of the most remarkable Test centuries witnessed at this ground. He does at least have the record score for an English wicketkeeper.
There are 18 overs left in the day - just over an hour - and it's worth noting the clouds are in, for the first time in this Test. This is going to be tasty...
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Boyz In Tha Mood

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Second new ball taken, Brook cramping - AND NOW GONE!

A ball into the 81st over, Akash Deep takes the second new ball. A ball after Mohammed Siraj has his first go with it, Smith carves him out to deep cover. A punch to the same region, for a single this time, takes the score to 385 for 5, bringing up the 300-run stand between these two, off 364 deliveries.
Between overs, Brook was setting some treatment. He seemed to be cramping up, with the physio on to stretch his hamstrings while he chowed down on a banana... but his innings last just eight more deliveries as he chops Deep onto his stumps!
"Harry, Harry Brook" sing Edgbaston, with huge applause for a fantastic knock which ends on 158 from 234 deliveries, the stand capped at 303. Hometown hero Chris Woakes strides to the middle.
Meanwhile, Jamie Smith is climbing up the ladder for the highest score against India by a wicketkeeper. Goes past Dinesh Chandimal's 162*. Only Ian Smith (173) and Andy Flower (183* & 232*) ahead of him now.
For English housekeeping, he needs 174 to bag the highest individual score by an English wicketkeeper.
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Tea - England 355 for 5, trail India by 232

Harry Brook picked off his ninth Test century in an afternoon session bossed by England, with India still smarting from Jamie Smith’s astonishing 80-ball hundred on day three of this second Test at Edgbaston.
Both Smith (157 not out) and Brook (140*) went into tea unbeaten and dominant, the hosts 355 for 5, still trailing India by 232 but bossing matters ever since Mohammed Siraj removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes in consecutive deliveries. That left England 84 for 5 in the 22nd over, still trailing in their first innings by 503.
They have not looked back since Smith walked out and drove the hat-trick delivery for four down the ground. The keeper-batter went into lunch unbeaten on 102, his second Test hundred, with 17 boundaries. Brook, meanwhile, still had nine runs of his own to pick off for his century.
He’d get there four overs into the second session, guiding through the cordon, between gully and second slip, off Prasidh Krishna for his 13th boundary to take him to three figures off 137 deliveries. It was Brook’s first century against India, and only his second at home, having fallen for 99 in his first innings of the series at Headingley.
Smith had polished off his three figures in one session, joint-third fastest on deliveries by an Engishman, and now has his second highest first-class score. The keeper-batter was more or less a-run-a-ball up until he locked horns with Prasidh Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Krishna was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed in handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.
Having reached three figures with back-to-back fours off Ravindra Jadeja in the final over of the morning, both he and Brook played the afternoon steady. Only 106 was added in the 28 overs between lunch and tea, with the collective slowdown evident in the fact it took 101 deliveries for this sixth wicket stand to move from 200 to 250.
Now at 271, it is the third highest partnership for the sixth wicket and lower against India. The second new ball, which is just five overs away, feels like India’s only hope of splitting Smith and Brook, though Nitish Kumar Reddy did find Smith’s edge on 121, but Rishabh Pant could only get finger tips to the chance.
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Jamie Smith beyond 150*

This is only the third time in Jamie Smith's first-class career that he has reached 150. The first time he past that figure, he went on to smash an unbeaten 234 against Gloucestershire in 2022. His next venture came last year, actually, with 155 at home to Warwickshire.
In this mood, Smith could have ticked off a career-best red ball score by stumps...
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Smith with an early venture into the VIP area...

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A look to the heavens

Brook's grandmother, Pauline, passed away in March 2024. He has since dedicated every hundred to her.
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Harry Brook reaches his 9th Test century!

He has been on the periphery as Jamie Smith stole the limelight this morning, but that is an excellent century from Harry Brook, brought up with his 13th boundary, dabbed through the cordon, between gully and second slip.
Having come in last night in testing conditions, and counter-attacked a little to resume on 30 this morning, the next 84 deliveries have been a measure of patience and letting Smith take the strike while picking off the odd bits here and there. If Smith's innings was a feast of prime beef, Brook's first century against India, and second at home, was a batting tapas. He's finally nourished after falling for 99 in his first innings of the series.
India are, whisper it, a little rattled out there. Misfields are now a regular occurrence, which is pumping up the Hollies. Smith, on 121, has just edged Nitish Kumar Reddy through to Rishabh Pant, who couldn't take the catch diving to his right.
A straight drive the ball late picks up a single to take the sixth wicket stand to 200 off 192...
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Lunch - England 249 for 5, Jamie Smith strikes 80-ball hundred

Jamie Smith produced the joint-third fastest century by an Englishman with a stunning 80-ball effort that leaves England 249 for 5 at lunch on day three of this second Test.
They still trail India by 338, and the scale of Smith’s feat was underlined by the fact he came to the crease to face a hat-trick ball. Mohammed Siraj had prised out Joe Root and Ben Stokes in successive deliveries in the second over of the session. Smith walked out, drove the hat-trick delivery for four down the ground and walked off for the interval unbeaten on 102, his second Test hundred, with 17 boundaries that not only sent India into a spin, but kept Harry Brook in the shade, on 91*. The 172 in these first 27 overs is the third most India have conceded in a session.
Brook began the day on 30, angling for consolidation at first before roused by Smith into providing 60 off 72 in a sixth wicket stand currently reading 165 off 154. Initially, England had hoped he and Root, with two 300-plus partnerships between them, who see out the session only for them to part 10 deliveries into the morning.
Root over-balanced to tickle an edge down the leg side through to Rishabh Pant. If that was a little bit of good fortune for Siraj, it was all him for the next delivery, as a snorter - leaping off a short length, scorching the gloves as Stokes attempted to protect his neck - gave England’s Test captain his first golden duck in the format. It was only the second time England’s top six had provided three noughts.
It was immediately from that point of disarray, with England 84 for 5 in the 22nd over, trailing by 503, that Smith unleashed his astonishing counter-attack.
The keeper-batter was more or less a run a ball up until he locked horns with Prasidh Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Krishna was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.
Remarkably, Gill persisted with Krishna and the short-ball tactic and, as expected, Smith tonked the first ball of this new over for another six over backward square leg. The previous over had seen Smith move to his sixth fifty-plus score from 43 deliveries.
Further shifts came with consecutive boundaries off spinners Washington Sundar (two fours through cover) and Ravindra Jadeja (a cut through point, then a launch back over the left-armer’s head), bringing Smith in with a shout of taking the record for England’s fastest Test century.
He was 84 from 62 deliveries, needing 16 from nine deliveries to take the record outright with the uncertainty of whether Gilbert Jessop achieved the feat from 72 or 76 deliveries. Alas a slowdown as lunch approached, while sensible, meant that opportunity passed him by.
Nevertheless, the century within the session came with three deliveries to go, as Smith lifted Jadeja down the ground and then smeared him through midwicket. Edgbaston roared and then once more as Smith and Brook strolled off, alongside a shellshocked India who, despite losing control, should regroup and remember they still hold a considerable lead.
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Jamie Smith has been on one...

And Gilbert Jessop is well in sight.
New research as per a soon-to-be-released book by Simon Wilde has Jessop's century at between 72 and 74 deliveries, not 76. SO it'll be tight for Smith, who needs 16 from his next seven deliveries (at the time of writing - 39.4 overs).
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Jamie Smith mauls Prasidh Krishna!

A quite astonishing over before the first drinks break sees Jamie Smith make a mockery of India's decision to move to a bumper ploy at the end of the first hour.
Prasidh Krishna, who has shown flashes but has been largely underwhelming at the start of this series, tries to use Smith's penchant for a heave against him. Alas Smith, will not be out-Alphaed, as per his straight drive for four off Siraj's hat-trick ball when he arrived to the crease.
Deep square leg is peppered for the first two, the second flying well over the fielder's head. A wider line next up sees Smith smear through midwicket, beating the boundary rider. A shorter delivery flies over Smith's head, and just pulled out of the sky by a leaping Pant. Desperate to close out the over, Krishna decides to go full... and is punched down the ground!
A single off the first over following the drinks break takes Smith to 50 from just 43 deliveries. And, oh look, Krishna's still on, still bowling short... and gets tonked over fine leg!
At the time of writing, 33 of Smith's 58* runs have come off 15 deliveries from Krishna...
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Shastri isn't happy (again)

Just 48 hours after lamenting the resting of Jasprit Bumrah, another bee has entered the bonnet of Ravi Shastri.
The former India head coach, who is with Sky Sports as a commentator, is rightly fuming about the gaps in the slip cordon. Harry Brook pierces one on his way to his second half-century of the series, from 73 deliveries.
"You are leading by 470 and have one slip and a gully – I can’t believe it," Shastri said. "Pack that slip cordon before lunch. Even if you concede an extra 30 or 40 runs, look for two or three wickets."
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Siraj as the pack leader

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Siraj goes bang-bang!

There goes the neighborhood! Mohammed Siraj, the absolute dancer, has removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes in successive deliveries!
Nine balls into the day and Joe Root has been trimmed off down the leg side. Siraj goes wild - understandably - peeling away through his run-up towards The Hollies, mobbed by his teammates as Root makes the slowest of slow walks off.
Stokes' dismissal, however, was perfect. With the England captain shaping up ready for one on his stumps, Siraj whistles one past his ears. His mitts are up, but he can only edge through to Rishabh Pant. This time, Siraj almost makes it into The Hollies! It's Stokes' first gold duck in Tests.
Jamie Smith comes in for the hat-trick ball, which is full, straight... and nailed down the ground, inside mid off!
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Thank Gill It's Friday

Friday at the Test is always a good time - especially if you're India in this one.
They have bossed the last couple of days, culminating in a blitz of England's top order last night. The bits before, however, belong more or less entirely to Shubman Gill.
Hard not to be impressed by the 25-year old. Without wishing to infantilise him, the fresh face and the proximity to aging greats gave him a wunderkind feel even last year. The first hundred as captain last week pushed him into adolescence. This double has him as the man of the house.
He might be following in the footsteps of legends, but he's doing it his own way - and perhaps better - as Sid Monga wrote last night.
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Stumps, day 2

England 77 for 3 trail India 587 (Gill 269, Jadeja 89, Jaiswal 87, Bashir 3-167) by 510 runs
India’s new-ball bowlers picked off England’s top order with the same ease that Shubman Gill ticked off records during his maiden Test double-hundred to take control of the second Test. This was a near-perfect day for India’s captain: Gill cruised to 269 before offering his first genuine chance, then snaffled a blinding catch at third slip to prompt England’s slump to 25 for 3.
Gill made clear at the toss that he supported India’s decision to reinforce their lower-order batting after two collapses at Headingley, and it has paid off to date. He added 203 for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, then 144 more for the seventh wicket with Washington Sundar, turning 211 for 5 into the highest total that England have conceded in the Stokes-McCullum era.
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They are Broot

With stumps fast approaching, England have arrested the slide with the man who's been carrying their batting all this time and the man who is destined to carry it in the future. Joe Root and Harry Brook are hanging in there. Brook might wanna bring up those control stats. They're down at 53% with his score 16 off 30.
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Cast your minds back

10 Years ago that England were last asked to follow on, by Australia at The Oval in 2015. It is very much on the cards here.
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Siraj strikes!

England are sinking! Zak Crawley pushes hard away from his body with no foot movement, Mohammed Siraj finds some shape away, and Karun Nair gobbles up the chance at first slip. England needed another 362 runs just to avoid the follow-on, and they're already three down early on. This is turning into a dream day for India.
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Sid Monga on Akash Deep

Sidharth Monga at Edgbaston: Akash Deep could be Mohammed Shami if he had more pace. It would be unfair to measure any release against Shami’s but Akash is the closest thing in India. If there is any seam movement to be had, Akash will find it. That also makes it a good choice to hand over the new ball to him because the Dukes ball usually swings after 8-10 overs. That doesn’t stop it from jagging around when the seam is the hardest and proudest.
These two wickets were result of seam movement. He was direct like Shami; bustling in, seam upright, attacking the stumps. The two boundaries he went for were not errors in execution but a plan to pitch the ball up when it is new. That he kept going full tells you India didn’t mind the boundaries. Not least because they have nearly 600 on the board. Akash has given India just the start they needed.
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Deep trouble!

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Wow! India are all over England. Akash Deep has two wickets in two balls. This is a beauty, full, angling in and shaping away, and Ollie Pope looks to whip it into the leg side. His leading edge flies to KL Rahul at second slip, who juggles the first attempt and grabs the second chance! Joe Root blocks the hat-trick ball, but England are on the ropes.
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Gill takes a blinder!

Sometimes, it is just your day. Shubman Gill spent the first two overs of this innings off the field, and takes a spectacular catch at third slip four balls after returning. Akash Deep angles one into Ben Duckett from around the wicket at 87mph/140kph, which Duckett pokes at tentatively, and his thick outside edge flies into the cordon. Gill flings himself to his left and clings onto it!
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Crawley crunches it

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Two years after hitting the first ball of the Ashes for four at Edgbaston, Zak Crawley thumps the second ball of this innings through straight mid-off for another early boundary. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul - who are running the show while Shubman Gill recovers from his marathon innings - reinforce the covers by taking out third slip immediately, but Crawley responds with another firm straight drive.
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Bashir finishes things off

Bashir unveils his new carrom ball again, though this wicket had more to do with Mohammed Siraj's batting than Bashir's variation. It floats down the leg side, hardly turning, and past Siraj's pads, and Jamie Smith whips the bails off to complete a simple stumping. India are bowled out for 587, and England will have up to 100 minutes to bat this evening.
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Lower-order reinforcements

371 Runs scored by India after the fall of the fifth wicket in this innings, their record in Tests. Their previous most was 370 against West Indies at Kolkata in 2013.
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Bazball bested

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Deep holes out

Akash Deep swings for the hills, but can only pick out Ben Duckett at long-on. Shoaib Bashir has his first wicket of the day in his 23rd over of it, and India are nine down.
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Gill goes!

A gargantuan innings comes to a tame end. Josh Tongue telegraphs the short ball with six-three leg-side field, and Shubman Gill pulls straight to square leg. He takes the applause as he walks off for 269, the seventh-highest score in India's Test history.
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Tea: India pile on the runs

Tea - India 564 for 7 (Gill 265*, Jadeja 89) vs England
Shubman Gill piled on the highest-ever score by an Indian captain to drive England into the ground at Edgbaston, reaching his first Test double-hundred and walking off unbeaten on 265 at the tea interval. For the second session in a row, England managed a solitary wicket as their bowling attack tired, with Joe Root dismissing Washington Sundar for 42.
India cruised past 400 on the second morning at Edgbaston, then accelerated beyond 500 after lunch. Their ploy to pack their batting line-up with allrounders after their lower-order capitulations at Headingley attracted much opprobrium but has paid off in style so far, with partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets.
Gill was all class at No. 4, batting through a third consecutive session while hardly offering England a chance. He relentlessly milked Shoaib Bashir, who has bowled 21 overs without reward on the second day, for singles, and scored boundaries all around the ground, picking gaps with precision and finding reward for playing late.
Root celebrated his dismissal of Washington with unusual vigour after cleaning him up shortly before the tea interval with an offbreak that turned past the outside edge. He was curiously underbowled by Ben Stokes, who tried just about every other option to get a wicket – including Harry Brook’s lesser-spotted medium pace.
Washington was troubled by Josh Tongue’s bouncer ploy before lunch, but took him on after the interval, hooking him over long leg for six. He otherwise provided excellent support as Gill cruised past various landmarks, including the highest score by an Indian on English soil (previously 221) and the highest score by an Indian captain (previously 254*).
There were no obvious signs of an imminent declaration at the tea interval, and India are well placed to post the highest total against England in the Stokes-McCullum era, which stands at 579 (by Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022). On the three previous occasions that England have conceded 550-plus under Stokes’ captaincy, they have gone on to win.
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Root strikes!

Washington Sundar's resistance is over. Joe Root has been curiously underbowled in this innings - fewer overs than Harry Brook - but cleans up Washington and is pumped. Fired in from around the wicket, Washington plays inside the line of it, and it clatters into middle stump. He then starts with a bumper to Akash Deep, who has to duck underneath it.
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Another Gill record

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100 partnership

Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar have now put on 100 for the seventh wicket, with Gill dominating the scoring. Washington has played a supporting role, but has been in control of 91% of the balls he has faced and has generally looked untroubled.
For all the criticism over India's XI for this Test - from myself included - they will feel vindicated based on how things have progressed today. Ravindra Jadeja could play at his normal tempo at No. 7, without having to worry about the lack of batting behind him, and India have now recovered from 211 for 5 to 518 for 6.
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Records galore

4 Lawrence Booth, the Wisden editor, points out that this is the fourth time in Test history that an England captain has won the toss, chosen to bowl first, and watched his team concede 500-plus. The most recent instance? Ben Stokes at Trent Bridge in 2022, in a Test England went on to win.
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Time for Brook

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"Harry, Harry Brook," is the chant from the Hollies Stand, to the tune of Daddy Cool by Boney M. England throw the ball to their seventh bowler of the innings, who will have a bowl for the fifth time in Tests - and the second at Edgbaston, after he was used as second-change against Australia here on the second day of the 2023 Ashes Test.
Shubman Gill treats him dismissively, cutting him away for four before punching him back down the ground twice in a row.
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India close in on 500

There have been some very flat pitches at Edgbaston in the last 18 months. Since the start of the 2024 season, only four out of the 13 first-class matches here - including one Test match - have had a positive result, with the other nine ending in draws.
In the four matches that ended in a result, the highest total in the first innings of the match was 300, for Hampshire against Warwickshire earlier this season.
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Gavaskar, Dravid, Gill

A majestic double-hundred from India's new captain and No. 4. He pulls a short ball behind square on the leg side and jogs through for the single that takes him to 200, before punching the air, blowing a kiss off the middle of his bat, and taking another bow to his team-mates and the crowd.
3 Shubman Gill is the third Indian batter to score a double hundred in England, and the first for 23 years.
Gill does, of course, already have an international double-hundred, but this is his first in Test cricket. He follows Rohit Sharma in scoring his first Test double after his first ODI one.
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Washington on the charge

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Washington Sundar has been ducking and weaving against Josh Tongue but decides it's time to take him on. He fends one off his body, past leg gully, and then plays a full-blooded pull which flies into the stands at long leg. His captain is stuck at the non-striker's end on 199.
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Too easy for Gill

Shubman Gill has been relentlessly milking Shoaib Bashir today, seemingly knocking every other ball he bowls down the ground to long-on with no risk. But he has just played one of the shots of the day off him, picking up from where he left off after the lunch break.
Bashir has four boundary-riders in place with Gill on strike, three out on the leg side and a deep cover-point, and there are men in tight at extra cover and wide mid-off. Bashir overpitches a touch, and Gill leans on a sumptuous cover drive, hitting against the spin and picking the tiny gap between those two fielders.
He makes batting look utterly effortless: mainly watching him in the IPL, I have always struggled to work out why his Test record isn't far better than it is; that view has only been reinforced by his performances in the first two Tests of this series. No. 4 looks like the perfect spot for him.
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Sangakkara on Jaiswal

Some interesting insight from Kumar Sangakkara on Yashasvi Jaiswal from Sky Sports, whom he knows well as his director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals.
"We had Joe Root at Rajasthan Royals, and we used to call Jaiswal “Joe-swal” because he never left Joe’s side, soaking up everything. They weren’t talking just T20; they were talking about everything, cricket and life. He would sit right next to Joe for four hours every night and just pester him with questions. Rooty was absolutely brilliant in our environment. He’s learned so much. That’s another aspect of Jaiswal: he’s a fast learner, and he wants to learn."
I spoke to Root during that IPL season, and he told me about how "refreshing" he had found it to work with Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, another promising young India batter.
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India's new record

416 India's previous highest total at Edgbaston, against England in June 2022. India have never won a Test match in Birmingham, with seven defeats and one draw.
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Lunch: India cruising

Lunch - India 419 for 6 (Gill 168*, Jadeja 89) vs England
India cruised past 400 on the second morning at Edgbaston, as Shubman Gill registered his new Test high score in a 203-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth wicket. Jadeja fell shortly before the interval for 89, gloving a catch behind down the leg side off Josh Tongue, but Gill batted serenely to pass 150 for the first time in Tests.
Gill and Jadeja added an unbroken 99 on the first evening, and reached their 100-run stand off the first ball of the day as Gill tucked Ben Stokes through the leg side. Gill played a rare false shot early on, edging Chris Woakes past second slip, but otherwise offered almost nothing while batting at a slightly higher tempo than he had on the opening day.
England’s bowlers were frustrated by Jadeja’s habit of taking a step or two down the pitch before deciding whether or not to attempt a run, with Stokes and Woakes both exchanging words with him. Both Jadeja and Stokes were spoken to by the umpires – Sharfuddoula and Chris Gaffaney – and encouraged to avoid the ‘danger area’ on a good length.
Jadeja marked his ninth 50-plus score against England with his trade sword celebration, and scored freely on both sides of the wicket. He and Gill exchanged sixes off Shoaib Bashir to take India past 400 – and take their partnership beyond 200 – before Tongue, unused for the first 85 minutes of the day, struck in his third over of the session.
Tongue found some extra bounce with an 85mph/137kph short ball, which looped through to Jamie Smith via Jadeja’s glove, and bowled a hostile spell to Washington Sundar, India’s No. 8. But India were well on top by the lunch break, with Gill still unbeaten and batting with a combination of class and composure.
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Jadeja falls!

England finally have their breakthrough. It's Josh Tongue, back into the attack for his first spell since the new ball was taken last night, who strikes with a short ball. Tongue bangs this into the pitch and finds a bit of extra lift to take the glove. The ball balloons up to Jamie Smith, down the leg side, and Jadeja has to walk off. He falls for 89, and the partnership is broken at 203. 85mph/136kph from Tongue, and quick enough to trouble Jadeja.
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400 up

Ravindra Jadeja has had enough of knocking Shoaib Bashir around. He charges down and lofts him back over his head for a straight six, the second of the innings and the first of the second day. That brings up India's 400.
Shubman Gill then follows suit, slog-sweeping over square leg for six more after Bashir mixes things up with a carrom ball. That brings up the 200-run partnership, the second of the series after Gill and Rishabh Pant's stand in the first innings of the Headingley Test.
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Pujara: India need at least 500

Cheteshwar Pujara is on Test Match Special on the BBC. "The batters are looking to be positive. They know that they need a big total on this pitch," he says.
"They should be looking at a 200 or 250-run partnership if they can. There’s a lot of pressure on that batting unit to score big… With the result in the last game, they know they’ll have to get 500 to get in the game. Even after getting to 500 on the pitch, they’ll have to bowl well."
The weather forecast will be lingering in the back of everyone's minds as this Test wears on: there's due to be some rain around on days 4 and 5, which might well inform strategies.
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Tongue goes missing

Josh Tongue was dubbed "the mop" at Headingley after cleaning up India's tailenders but bowled an expensive first spell without much control on day one at Edgbaston, and hasn't been seen at all in the first 85 minutes this morning.
Tongue has only bowled 13 of the first 103 overs in this match, and doesn't appear to be carrying any kind of injury or niggle. He's out at deep square leg as Shoaib Bashir bowls another wicketless overs from the Birmingham End, though is finally getting loose.
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150 for Gill

More easy pickings for Shubman Gill, who cruises through to 150 off 263 balls - his third fifty taking just 64 balls. He has been milking Shoaib Bashir with real ease this morning, knocking him down to long-on for jogged singles, and looks in no trouble at all against Brydon Carse's short-ball ploy.
1 This is the first time Shubman Gill has reached 150 in a Test match, beating his 147 at Headingley last week to become his highest score in the format. He does have one higher score in international cricket: 208 against New Zealand in an ODI in early 2023.
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India's hour

55 Runs in the first hour of the second day, in 13 wicketless overs
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Gill motoring

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Back-to-back boundaries for Shubman Gill off Brydon Carse, and they are two of the sweetest shots he has played in this innings. Carse is trying to target the stumps with a field set for straight bowling, but Gill whips him through wide mid-on with an effortless push, then crashes him through point with an open-faced square drive. Plain sailing for India's captain.
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Carse's speeds down

Brydon Carse is into the attack slightly later than anticipated, and looks like he is managing some soreness in his body. He seemed to be struggling at times on the first day, and his first ball is clocked at 81mph (131kph) today, having hit 92mph (148kph) in his first spell yesterday. He's back up to 86mph (138kph) midway through the over, and does find some decent carry through to Smith as Jadeja drops his hands.
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50 for Jadeja

Stokes still isn't happy with Jadeja. The stump microphones are turned up loud, and Stokes mentions the word "spikes" while inspecting an area on a good length outside the left-hander's off stump from the far end. He has a chat with Jadeja and umpire Chris Gaffaney, and is clearly not happy about where Jadeja has been running.
Meanwhile, Jadeja has brought up an 80-ball half-century by tucking Woakes off his pads. He brings out the sword celebration, reaching 50 for the ninth time against England in Tests.
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Jadeja gets a word

England's fielders aren't happy with Ravindra Jadeja, who takes a couple of steps down the middle of the pitch into the danger area as he considers a single off Chris Woakes. Sharfuddoula, the standing umpire, comes down and has a word with him, and Ben Duckett is back in the umpire's ear at the end of the over. One to keep an eye on, with England due to bat last on this surface.
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100 partnership

143 Balls taken for Gill and Jadeja to put on a 100-run stand
Ben Stokes takes the ball for the first over of the day - which is a bit of a surprise, given the new ball was only taken five overs before the close of play last night - and Shubman Gill opens his second-day account by tucking a single into the leg side.
That brings up the 100 partnership between him and Jadeja for the sixth wicket; this partnership alone have put on more than India's last five wickets managed across both innings at Headingley.
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Short boundaries?

There was plenty of discussion on the TV and radio coverage of the first day of this Test about the boundary sizes at Edgbaston. The gaps between the LED perimeter boards and the boundary rope are unusually large, and the longest boundary on the ground is only around 65 metres.
Simon Wilde, writing in the Times overnight, suggests that the ploy may be designed to suit England's batting approach, "to bury their opponents under sheer weight of runs scored at such a speed that it allows their bowlers time to take 20 wickets".
Chris Woakes seemed bemused when he was asked about them by Jonathan Agnew on Test Match Special last night. "I hadn't noticed, to be honest with you Aggers," he said. "From a bowler's point of view, they just keep getting smaller anyway, so we just get on with it. It doesn't matter what the format is."
The relevant clauses in the World Test Championship playing conditions are below, and there is no indication that England have breached any of them:
19.1.1 Before the toss, the umpires shall determine the boundary of the field of play, which shall be fixed for the duration of the match. See clause 2.3.4 (Consultation with Home Board).
19.1.3 The aim shall be to maximize the size of the playing area at each venue. With respect to the size of the boundaries, no boundary shall be longer than 90 yards (82.29 meters), and no boundary should be shorter than 65 yards (59.43 metres) from the centre of the pitch to be used.
19.1.4 At all times, there must be 3 yards (2.74 meters) from the boundary rope to the first solid object (advertising boards/LEDs, photographers, cameramen, dug outs, covers, perimeter fence) for the player’s safety run off.
19.1.5 If the boundary is positioned less than 90 yards (82.29 meters) from the centre of the pitch, the boundary rope cannot be set at a distance of more than 10 yards (9.14 meters) from the perimeter fence. The 10 yards shall be inclusive of the 3 yards (2.74 meters) provided for the player’s safety run off.
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Gill's masterclass

Sidharth Monga: Gill dug in, living the words he spoke before the Test. Gears kept shifting throughout. He scored just four off the first 26, got to 50 in 125, and when the new ball was approaching he pulled out two sweeps in one Joe Root over to get the hundred. By the time he reached his century, according to ESPNcricinfo control numbers, he had played only 12 false shots in 199 balls - Cricviz put the number at eight. That, they say, is the lowest rate of false shots in any hundred in England since 2006.
Read Sid's piece in full here.
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Good morning

Sunny blue skies at Edgbaston on the second morning of this Test match, with some fluffy white clouds over Birmingham city centre. Both sets of players are warming up, with England's bowlers getting themselves loose after 85 overs in the field yesterday, and India's dismissed batters kicking a football around.
It's up to Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja to build a substantial first-innings total today, with Washington Sundar providing some additional batting depth at No. 8. England ran through India's lower order in both innings at Headingley last week, and will be looking for a repeat performance today.
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Stumps, Day 1 - India 310 for 5

Shubman Gill’s roar said it all. At 10:30am, he fronted up at the toss to reveal Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for this second Test at Edgbaston. Shortly after 6pm, after everyone had broadly agreed India were wrong to leave out their world-class quick when trailing 1-0 to England, Gill ripped off his helmet, pierced the air with a second shriek in two weeks and then, as is custom, bowed to mark his seven Test century.
Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Gill revealed the India management felt Lord's will offer their prized quick more than this Edgbaston track. And as he saw out the day unbeaten on 114, he has at least done his bit to ensure India are not further behind when they head to London next week. At 310 for 5, they are in a promising position, albeit with a line-up that has fewer specialist batters. Once again, Yashasvi Jaiswal leaned into England's bowlers, but, unlike Gill, could not make it back-to-back centuries, falling as he did for 87.
If Gill’s first hundred in this series at Headingley immediately announced his arrival as India’s Test captain, this one already felt like a retaliation to its rigours and stresses. The news of Bumrah’s resting came as one of three changes that also drew unflattering attention to a touring party already shuffling the deckchairs. Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI, for Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur dropped.
Ben Stokes’ decision to win the toss and bowl for a second consecutive match, and under bright sunshine once more, was broadly vindicated by a valiant showing from his quicks. Chris Woakes, with 2 for 59, was the pick of them.
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Shubman Gill gets to three figures!

Shubman Gill becomes just the second Indian captain after Mohammad Azhaurddin to score hundreds in consecutive matches in England.
He is also the third Indian captain - after Mohammad Azharuddin in 1990 in New Zealand & England, and Virat Kohli in Australia during the 2014/15 series – to score hundreds in consecutive SENA Tests.
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Do do do do...

Jofra Archer!
A lovely ovation for Archer earlier as he came on to patrol the boundary with drinks for his teammates. Good to see him back in England whites.
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Bazball funk

England getting creative with their fields ahead of the second new ball...
Ravindra Jadeja has been building steadily alongside Shubman Gill. The pair have been accumulating at close to four an over without taking any undue risks, though Jadeja has just danced down the track to clout Bashir back over his head for four.
Stokes, five overs into his spell (0 for 25), was mixing up the bumper stuff. He now hands over to Josh Tongue, who could do with making an impression. He is 0 for 52 from 10 overs today...
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Pants!

A second "oh what have you done?" dismissal from India's top five. But perhaps Shoaib Bashir deserves credit for this one?
Rishabh Pant was always targeting the spinner. His first boundary, before the tea interval, was a swagger and slap over wide long on for six. He started the 59th over with his familiar tumble and lap over to fine leg for a second four. And for this first delivery of the 61st he thought, heck, why not...
Bashir seemed to sense it was coming. The delivery served up was a 46mph, seam-up looper. Out Pant came, hacking to the same region where that six had been struck... only he was short of the boundary, and straight into the hands of Zak Crawley lurking in the deep.
Did he not see him? Either way, the folly of Pant's impulsiveness becomes that little more pronounced as Nitish Kumar Reddy leaves a delivery from Woakes that jags back in and pings the top of his off stump! England are up and about
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Shubman Gill notches fifty

Classy stuff from the skipper, under a mountain of pressure given the team selection, both the omission of Jasprit Bumrah when you're 1-0 down and the general make-up of the XI as a result of some extra tweaking.
Despite lengthening the tail, there are fewer full-time batters, which puts the onus on them to do their bit. Shubman Gill is certainly doing his, skipping down the pitch to tonk Shoaib Bashir back over his head for just his fifth boundary in 125 deliveries.
Much more to do, of course. A big first innings century to go with last week's 147 is a must.
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Pant or Dhoni?

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Tea - India 182 for 3

Yashasvi Jaiswal fell 13 short of a sixth Test century - and fourth against England - as Ben Stokes prized out the opener as the only wicket in what was an otherwise solid middle session for India on day one of this second Test.
The tourists went to tea at Edgbaston on 182 for 3, thanks largely to Jaiswal’s 87 that kept up the left-hander’s steak of scoring at least 50 in all seven of his Tests against England. But the home skipper was able to cap the damage caused by the opener, who slashed at a wide delivery outside off stump through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Shubman Gill remains unbeaten on 42 at the interval, with plenty on his shoulders already as India made sweeping changes after going 1-0 down in the series. The big news was that Jasprit Bumrah would sit out this Test, with Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI.
Those changes give India a completely different feel from the defeat at Headingley, with Sai Sudharsan and Shadrul Thakur dropped. Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Gill revealed the India management felt Lord's will offer Bumrah more than this track.
So far, it has offered more to bat than ball. Jaiswal negotiated what early movement there was, watching Chris Woakes prise out KL Rahul early for a torturous 2 from 26 deliveries in an impressive new ball spell which read 1 for 15 from seven overs, including four maidens on the bounce. Woakes was unlucky not to make more inroads after standing umpire Sharfuddoula turned down two close LBW appeals - the first against Jaiswal on 12, the second against Nair on 5. Both were reviewed only to come back with fractional Umpire's Call on the predicted path into the stumps.
Fellow opening bowler Brydon Carse had to wait until six minutes before lunch to get his reward, when hard length surprised Karun Nair (promoted to No.3) on 31, splicing to Harry Brook at second slip. That ended a productive stand of 80 for the second wicket which Nair had driven initially before Jaiswal took the wheel.
He moved to his half-century off 59 deliveries, accelerating into it with the help of some wayward bowling from Josh Tongue. Three boundaries from the Nottinghamshire quick's third over were followed by three-in-a-row from what turned out to be Tongue's sixth and final one of his spell, as Stokes ordered his quicks to instigate their usual bumper ploy.
A hook took Jaiswal to 49, before he leapt into a vicious cut high over point to pass fifty, followed by a celebratory four - his 11th - carved past third. And he showed patience through the middle session, driving Carse through cover five balls after lunch, and later guiding Tongue past the cordon for the last of 13 boundaries to take him to 81.
Perhaps he ran out of patience when going after Stokes. Nonetheless, there is a foundation for a big score, that Gill and Rishabh Pant preserved. The latter in particular seemed watchful, with 14* off 28, showing one moment of malice when he stepped out to Shoaib Bashir and lifted him over wide long on for the first six of the innings.
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This is what getting out Jaiswal means

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Jaiswal goes!

Oh Yashasvi, what have you done?!
Ben Stokes brings himself on to bowl, desperate to break this stand, and he's done just that - simply by hanging one out wide. The left-hander slashes wildly, as he has done on a few occasions in this innings, but ends up slicing an edge through to Jamie Smith.
Stokes is ecstatic, charging around like a loony, losing his cool. Jaiswal's nailed on hundred does not come to fruition this time! The stand with Gill ends on 66.
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Finally, some theatre!

There has been very little needle this series. But there have been occasional flashes over the five-and-a-half day's play we've had so far.
This was another, between Brydon Carse and Shubman Gill. Carse decided, as he was running in for the fourth delivery of the 34th over, to thrust his left arm out towards cover, just before his gather. Gill, understandably, pulled away late, with Carse delivering the ball just over the top of leg stump.
After an exchange of words in the middle of the pitch - Carse wondering what the problem was, Gill suggesting Carse knows exactly what the problem was - the umpire Chris Gaffaney called a dead ball.
By the letter of the laws – Gill is within his rights to back away (20.4.2.6). Had the delivery hit stumps, it would not have been out. The umpires have to decide if it's a deliberate attempt to distract (41.4(. If they decide it isn't (it's not deliberate distraction to have a weird action), Carse can do it, but Gill still within his rights to back away.
If they decide it is a deliberate attempt to distract, then it would be Dead ball and five penalty runs.
But it was not over there, as Carse devlivered a legitimate ball that he was so sure had trapped Gill in front that it took him almost 20-yards into his sprint towards the stands to turn and face the umpire. Not out was the call and up went the review with the crowd baying for three reds. Alas, a thick inside edge was found.
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Woakes and Carse back at it

We have now had seven overs of England's new ball pair to kick off the afternoon session. And so far, Jaiswal (again) and Shubman Gill have negotiated them well.
Woakes and Carse were excellent with the new ball to start with, unlucky to not take more than the solitary wicket for the 11 overs they operated in tandem, with only 21 runs scored. Though the rate is not too dissimilar post lunch - 2.86 an over - the cordon is down to two slips (first and second), with some creative field placings in front of the bat.
Stokes is asking for a straighter line, which makes sense with a ball now in its 30s, but the two young batters are happy to pick off the singles when the radars are slightly off. And now, with a scythe over the slips into the eighth over of the session, Gill pockets his first boundary. A second follows in the same region, albeit from a controlled edge through gully
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Lunch - India 98 for 2

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 62 not out took India to a solid position of 98 for 2 at lunch on day one of the second Test match in Edgbaston, after Ben Stokes once again opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
Jaiswal’s innings, under blue skies and bright sunshine, was split between patience and aggression in the first and second hour of the session, respectively. Having played patiently with early movement on offer, he went from 16 off 34 to a 16th fifty plus score in just 25 deliveries later. Having started the series with a century in Leeds, he looks in the mood to replicate that first innings feat here in Birmingham.
It was a welcome start following the big news that Jasprit Bumrah was to sit out the Test. His resting was one of three changes for India, with Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI.
The changes give India a completely different feel from the defeat at Headingley, with Sai Sudharsan and Shadrul Thakur dropped. Karun Nair will bat at No.3. Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Shubman Gill revealed the India management felt Lord’s will offer Bumrah more than this track.
The catalyst for the Jaiswal's acceleration was the introduction of Josh Tongue, who inadvertently alleiviated the pressure created by the opening bowlers, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse. The former prised out KL Rahul for a torturous 2 from 26 deliveries in an impressive new ball spell which read 1 for 15 from seven overs, including four maidens on the bounce. And Woakes was unlucky not to make more inroads after standing umpire Sharfuddoula turned down two close LBW appeals - the first against Jaiswal on 12, the second against Karun Nair on 5. Both were reviewed only to come back with fractional Umpire’s Call on the predicted path into the stumps.
Carse had to wait six minutes before the lunch interval to get his reward, when hard length surprised Nair, on 31, powerless to prevent a splice towards Harry Brook at second slip. That ended a productive stand of 80 for the second wicket which Nair had driven initially before Jaiswal took the wheel.
Even as England bossed the first half of the morning session, Jaiswal remained tight (a few slashes aside) driving crisply down the ground. Tongue’s waywardness then allowed him to free his arms to the square boundary. Three boundaries from the Nottinghamshire quick’s third over were followed by three-in-a-row from what turned out to be Tongue’s sixth and final one of his spell, as Stokes ordered his quicks to instigate their usual bumper ploy.
A hook took Jaiswal to 49, before he leapt into a vicious cut high over point to pass fifty, followed by a celebratory four - his 11th - carved past third. He now has at least fifty in all seven of his Tests against England.
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Start the Kar(un)

The last time Karun Nair passed 26 in Test cricket, well... England were cooked to a crisp in Chennai.
Will history repeat itself in Birmingham almost nine years on?
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Tongue releasing pressure?

A steady partnership for India, this, initially led by Karun Nair. That the fifty was brought up in 8.4 overs owed to a surge from Jaiswal, who took took apart Josh Tongue in the seamer's third over:
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It's been pretty loose from Tongue, bowling both too full and then short and wide. Clearly a talent, but the last Test and this spell seems to suggest he needs more fine-tuning.
He might have picked up a reputation for feasting on Rabbit Pie last week (picking off tailenders) but England need him to develop a taste for prime cuts, like he had in 2023...
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Utter Woakes Nonsense

Chris Woakes has a well-earned reputation as one of the nicest guys in cricket. Sometimes, that does his talents as a cricketer a disservice, belying his competitive spirit.
Not at the moment, mind. He is ticking. Furious, even. A second strong LBW shout was turned down in the 11th over, as Karun Nair padded away a delivery that nipped in (there have been plenty of rogue leaves in this first hour of play).
Yet again, a slim umpire's call on the projected impact into the stump (off, this time) vindicated Sharfuddoula's not out decision. But Woakes clearly believes the onfield decision should have gone in his favour, as he stomped back to his mark, chuntering a few expletives to himself. He was on the big screen at the time and you did not need to be a lip-reading expert to make out what was said.
Nair, however, has picked off some lovely straight drives off Josh Tongue - who replaced Brydon Carse at the Pavilion End - and again off Woakes in the over before drinks.
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Woakes gets KL!

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A torturous KL innings comes to an end, reading a grim 2 off 26 deliveries. He has not looked comfortable, and was even losing his shape for leaves, turning right around, Steve Smith style, with both feet facing the bowler.
It was Chris Woakes who elicited that involuntary contortion, and it's Woakes who bags the wicket. A deserved one, too, after a hat-trick of turned down LBW appeals, the second of which, against Jaiswal on 12, was upheld after a DRS review following the narrowest of Umpire's Call on the impact with the stumps.
Woakes has hit his groove and also found a patch just in front of the right-hander that lifts a bit, leading to KL defending onto his own stumps. Karun Nair, in at three after Sai Sudharsan's axing, almost does the same off his first delivery!
Another maiden for Woakes, his fourth of his five overs so far...
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Jaiswal on the move...

There have been a few slashes early on from Yashasvi Jaiswal. But finally, in Brydon Carse's second over, he gets one out of the middle.
A proper square drive, hands and arms in sync, balance perfect. All very promising as far as India are concerned.
Carse has started around the wicket to the left-hander. While a familiar tactic for right-armers against southpaws, and exactly how Carse removed Jaiswal in the second innings at Headingley, it isn't actually a problem angle for Jaiswal. As it happens, he averages exactly double against pace around the wicket (71.5) compared to over the wicket (35.5).
Just as I was gifted that stat by our man Sid Monga, Carse gets one to jag back in and take the glove of Jaiswal, bouncing on its way to third slip. While KL Rahul and Chris Woakes share pleasantries at the other end, this is the real battle this morning...
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Ravi Shastri is NOT happy...

It is fair to say Ravi Shastri is not a fan of Jasprit Bumrah choosing to sit out of this Test with India 1-0 down. Nor is he enamoured by the number of tweaks to the XI. It is clear he feels Gambhir and co should have shown stronger leadership.
"This is a very important match, they've had a week off. I'm little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game. It should be taken out of the player's hand. It should be the captain and the coaching staff that should decide who should be playing the 11. This is an important game in the context of the series, he should be playing this game more than anything else. Lord’s can come later. This is the important game where you got to counter punch almost straightaway.
“Play this one. Make it 1-1 and then give him the option: you want to rest at Lord’s, rest at Lord’s. You think he’ll rest at Lord’s? No chance if you win this.
"If you look at the run, India has had, this becomes a very, very important test match. You've lost three against New Zealand, you've lost three against Australia. You've lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the side, in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it's something very hard to believe."
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England win the toss and bowl - Bumrah sits out!

Ben Stokes has won the toss and opted to bowl first at Edgbaston, as England seek to exploit whatever movement there is in this Edgbaston surface to steal a march on India in this second Test, after taking a 1-0 lead at Headingley.
The headline news is that Jasprit Bumrah sits out, ensuring he still has two Tests in the chamber to be used in the final three matches from Lord’s onwards. His resting is one of three changes for India, with Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI.
Those changes gives India a decidedly different feel from the one that suffered the defeat at Headingley, with Sai Sudharsan and Shadrul Thakur dropped. Karun Nair will bat at No.3.
Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Shubman Gill revealed the India management felt Lord’s will offer Bumrah more than this track.
“We did get a good break… but the third match of the series being at Lord’s, there might be a little bit more in the wicket so we thought we’d play him in the third one,” said Gill.
While confirming he would have also opted to bowl first, Gill revealed Kuldeep Yadav came close to selection, only for Washington to get the nod because of his superior batting. Boosting the tail after numbers eight to 11 scored nine runs between them across both innings of the first Test was a priority.
“We were very tempted to play him (Kuldeep). But looking at the last match, the lower order did not score many runs.”
All the intrigue over the last 48 hours was very much focussed on India after Ben Stokes named an unchanged XI on Monday. The last time England fielded same XI across the first two Test matches of a home series was in 2017 against South Africa.
Victory for the hosts would increase their superiority over India at Edgbaston. They have won seven out of eight meetings here, with one draw.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 Shoaib Bashir.
India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna
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Blessings from Brum!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages…
Welcome to our live report of this second Test between England and India at Edgbaston. Are you excited? I am.
There’s so much at play, and, yep, a lot of it’s on India’s side. England have set their stall out with the same team again, on a pre-ordered pitch that might rival the last Test for flatness. The first class tracks at Edgbaston have been flat, and hopefully this won’t be a docile bore. Let's not have another snorefest like that Trent Bridge Test back in 2014.
It's overcast and cool this morning, a welcome respite from the heatwave that's had the UK regretting its ambivalence to air conditioning. Out on the field, the players are going through their warm-ups. Karun Nair, bat and gloves in hand, was having a long conversation with Kumar Sangakkara - here commentating for Sky Sports - while checking out the deck which has a few green streaks running through it. It has been reported that he - Nair, not Kumar - is set to move to No.3...
There’s a lot to pore through before we even get to the toss. For starters, here’s Karthik Krishnaswamy preview to sink your teeth into.
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ICC World Test Championship

TeamMWLDPTPCT
AUS330036100.00
SL21011666.67
ENG42112654.17
IND41211633.33
BAN2011416.67
WI303000.00
NZ------
PAK------
SA------