Live Report - India strike early after Gill's 269
By Matt Roller (today), Vithushan Ehantharajah (yesterday)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
This is the highest score that England have conceded in the Stokes-McCullum era, beating Pakistan's 579ao at Rawalpindi in 2022
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) July 3, 2025
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Deep holes out
Nine down!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 3, 2025
Akash Deep hits it straight down the throat of Ben Duckett at long-on.
- pic.twitter.com/8obXxLfNcc
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!
ROOOOOOOT!
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 3, 2025
Washington Sundar is bowled by Joe Root for just before tea.
- pic.twitter.com/KbjME0TDxz
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
Shubman Gill goes past Virat Kohli's 254* against South Africa in 2019 to claim the highest score by an India Test captain pic.twitter.com/xfzxiRfvmH
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 3, 2025
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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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India cruise past 500
18 Years since India passed 500 in a men's Test in England. The most recent occasion was in August 2007, when Anil Kumble's unbeaten century helped them to 664 at The Oval.
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Another Gill record
222 Shubman Gill now holds the record for the highest score by an Indian batter in a men's Test in England. Only three Indian batters have made higher scores against England: Vinod Kambli (224), Virat Kohli (235) and Karun Nair (303*).
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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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Shubman's new record
180 Shubman Gill now holds the record for the highest score by an India captain in a men's Test in England, beating Azharuddin's 179 at Old Trafford in 1990.
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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.
Ravindra Jadeja is denied a second hundred at Edgbaston as Josh Tongue breaks the 203-run stand! https://t.co/t4iTZ4cwcz | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/qF88qs3IGF
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 3, 2025
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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.
Time for a bit of Harry Brook off the wrong foot, perhaps. Bloke was first change here two years ago
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) July 3, 2025
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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 Mohali.
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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Akash Deep is marking his run-up...
An interesting development here, as Akash Deep gets out the measuring tape to mark out his run-up.
He has been warming up intensely all morning, but there's a surefire sign that he's in the XI... and that maybe Bumrah's not??
Here's Sid Monga on India's need to ensure they get 20 wickets before worrying about (a lack of) lower order runs.
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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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