India vs England 2nd Test: Shubman Gill's incredible 269 takes India to 587 before England lose flurry of early wickets

BIRMINGHAM: Around 20 minutes prior to lunch on the second day’s play, Ravindra Jadeja dabbed offspinner Shoaib Bashir to short third-man, only for Chris Woakes to laboriously get to the ball and stop it. Jadeja called for a run but Shubman Gill, at the other end, turned the single down. The stump mic caught Jadeja saying to Gill, “Arey, woh log so gaye hain (they are in slumber)!”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!This little episode sums up Gill’s marathon knock of 269 and how it utterly deflated England on Thursday. Gill’s knock eventually ended rather innocuously off a half-hearted pull to square-leg in the last session of the day. By then he had ensured that his regal performance would be etched in bold letters in India’s Test history. His talent, timing and temperament were all on view.The Indian captain’s faultless presence at the crease for all six sessions, over the first two days, ensured that England were pinned firmly to the mat. After India were bowled out for 587, Akash Deep, replacing Jasprit Bumrah, snared Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks in the slip cordon to confirm India’s dominance in the second Test. By stumps, England were 77/3 as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Zak Crawley for 19 at first slip. The late evening burst by the Indian pacers was a pleasant departure from the norm on this pitch.Resuming the day at 310/5, with Gill and Jadeja batting on 114 and 41 respectively, Edgbaston was buzzing in anticipation of another day of exciting cricket. Instead, Gill owned the day and turned it into a one-sided contest in favour of India. Brydon Carse’s scrambled seam delivery beat Gill’s outside edge after 50 minutes of play, and that was the most England could trouble the unflappable Gill. Gill’s doggedness against England’s disciplined bowling on Day One made way for his customary flair on Day Two. He scored 155 runs off 171 balls, hitting 30 imperious boundaries and three effortless sixes. His stature as a Test batter grew with each minute he spent at the crease.As the innings rolled on, Gill cruised past milestones set by some of India’s best batters over the last three generations.He first surpassed Sunil Gavaskar as India’s highest-scorer in an innings in England, followed by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli’s respective Test highest scores of 248 not out and 254 not out. He is now one of only five batters to have scored a double hundred in both ODIs and Tests.Gill had berated himself after throwing his wicket away on 147 in the previous Test at Headingley. He made ample amends at Edgbaston. He stitched a 203-run sixth-wicket partnership with Jadeja, followed by a 144-run seventh-wicket stand with Washington Sundar.It’s not often that one witnesses such a dominant performance by a visiting batter in England.