India finished the first day of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England in a comfortable position at 310 for 5 in 85 overs, having been led by captain Shubman Gill with a gritty, undefeated century—the seventh of his Test career and the second overall as captain of India.
Though sent in to bat in sunny conditions at Edgbaston, and under fire for resting pace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and choosing a three-man combination of all-rounders instead of another specialist bowler like Kuldeep Yadav, the Indian team found calm waters in Gill.
The 24-year-old carried his fine form from Headingley, where he had scored 147, to stay not out on 114 from 216 balls, adorned with 12 fours.
This century was Gill's fourth century against England and only made him the second Indian skipper after Mohammad Azharuddin to score centuries in consecutive Tests in England. He is joined by Azharuddin and Vijay Hazare as the only Indian captains with consecutive tons against England, giving his performance another layer of glory.
Gill was ably supported by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a breezy and assured 87-run innings, and Ravindra Jadeja, who was left not out on 41 at stumps. Gill and Jadeja combined for an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 99 runs, which rescued India from a slightly wobbly 211 for 5.
Chris Woakes was the pick of England's bowlers with the ball, claiming 2 wickets and regularly getting bat across—although he was robbed by DRS referrals. Brydon Carse, Ben Stokes, and Shoaib Bashir took a wicket each.
India's reply was started by an early setback when KL Rahul was bowled for 2 after scuffing a Wookes delivery onto his stumps. Wookes almost struck again as both Jaiswal and Karun Nair were given not out on close lbw appeals that remained with the umpire's decision.
Nair, who came in for B. Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, made a brief impression with classy shots, including a beautiful flick over mid-on. Jaiswal, however, hit his straps almost immediately as he blasted a errant Josh Tongue, churning out back-to-back overs full of boundaries and taking his 11th Test half-century in style.
Although off to a sluggish start—at one point 16 off 34 balls—Jaiswal settled down. His 80-run stand for the second wicket with Nair was snapped just before lunch when Carse discovered the edge of Nair's bat, second slip completing the task.
The tempo slowed significantly after lunch as India opted for a patient, old-fashioned strategy, making 84 runs from 28 overs. Jaiswal was left 13 runs short of a deserved hundred when he got an edge off a Ben Stokes ball to the keeper, providing the crucial breakthrough for England.
Gill, on the other hand, stood firm. While subjected to constant pressure by Woakes attacking his pads, he remained unperturbed with a measured front-foot defence. Batting out of his crease, he endured several probing spells and accumulated runs consistently.
Once Jaiswal got out, Rishabh Pant also took his time before opening up with a typical six over extra cover off Bashir. The duo added valuable runs before the tea break intervened.
The evening session was restarted slowly, and a ball change ultimately became necessary because the ball was jammed in the gauge. Gill then took off, completing his half-century off 125 balls with powerful strokes against Woakes and Bashir.
Bashir retaliated, though, in the 61st over, tempting Pant—who had previously reverse-swept him—to hit another bold shot. Pant did so and was caught at long-on for 25. Nitish Kumar Reddy soon followed suit, mistakenly playing a Woakes delivery which bounced back in to unsettle his stumps, leaving India at 211/5.
With England feeling momentum, Carse came back in, but Gill reacted with class, finding the gaps for back-to-back boundaries. Gill and Jadeja played firmly against a barrage of bouncers from Stokes and took the score to an important fifty-run partnership.
Jadeja was effortless in attack, driving boundaries past Bashir and Tongue, while Gill flexed his utility with a dominant cut shot and couple of sweeps off Joe Root to reach his hundred from 199 balls. He let out a thunderous roar and a beautiful bow.
With the second new ball available late in the evening, both Gill and Jadeja hit another boundary each to complete a good day's work for India in this crucial Test match.
Brief Scorecard:
India 310/5 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 114, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87; Chris Woakes 2-59, Brydon Carse 1-49) vs England
