IND vs ENG, 2nd Test: Shubman Gill hits peak form in Edgbaston, becomes 1st Indian in 54 years to achieve THIS feat

There is no stopping Shubman Gill. The newly-appointed Indian Test captain is on a run-scoring spree in the UK, completing his third Test hundred on English soil in only his second Test of this five-match series. After rocking scoreboards and records with a hundred in Leeds and a career-best 269 in the first innings at Edgbaston, Gill notched up another hundred in the second innings in this Test, becoming only the second Indian batter in 54 years to unlock this feat, and ninth overall. He stays unbeaten at the crease at tea on day four, with Team India leading by 484.

While he is the fourth batter since the start of this millennium to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same Test, he is among the only two active cricketers, alongside Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 204 and 104* against West Indies in Perth in 2022, to do so.

Carrying his purple patch into the Test series, Gill has looked in ominous touch thus far. He doesn’t seem to play a false shot, let alone give a chance to any bowler to pick his wicket. Standing at the crease like a rock and making this match and his new batting position (number four) all about himself, Gill broke plenty of records in the first two matches.

Even before he completed his hundred, he surpassed batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, whom he joined for batters to score a double hundred and a ton in the same match, for the most runs scored by an Indian batter in a Test match. While Gavaskar achieved this feat in the reverse order, scoring 124 in the first innings and 220 in the second against West Indies in the 1971 Test, Gill scored a marathon 269 in the first and crossed the triple-digit mark in the second innings.

Gill has already surpassed 540 runs in four innings in this series.

India unlikely to lose at Edgbaston

After conceding a brilliant chance to take a lead in this series in Leeds, Team India is ensuring they are not leaving any stone unturned in its efforts to disallow England to complete a run chase.

Rishabh Pant, who is also among the runs in this series, having hit twin tons thus far, also contributed to India’s second innings success in Birmingham. He timed a few but mistimed more in his 65-run knock, hitting nine fours and four sixes.

Meanwhile, Team India’s lead crossed over 500 just after tea on day four.