Shubman Gill’s Twin Tons, Indian Pacers Put England on Back Foot in 2nd Test
Shubman Gill continued his sensational form, scoring his second century of the match and powering India to a dominant position against England in the second Test at Birmingham. Gill’s blistering 161 off just 162 balls helped India set a monumental target of 608, leaving England’s “Bazball” approach staring at a mountain going into Day 5.
The 24-year-old batter, wearing No. 18—associated with Virat Kohli—played a commanding knock featuring 13 boundaries and 8 towering sixes. His match tally now stands at a staggering 430 runs, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s legendary 344-run effort against the West Indies in 1971. Gill also became only the second Indian to register a double century and a hundred in the same Test after Gavaskar.
India declared at 427/6 in their second innings, with Ravindra Jadeja (69*), Rishabh Pant (65), and KL Rahul (55) also making key contributions. The declaration came an hour after tea, drawing criticism from fans and experts like Cheteshwar Pujara, who believed it could have come earlier.
Despite the delay, Indian fast bowlers quickly swung the momentum. Akash Deep removed Ben Duckett and Joe Root, while Mohammad Siraj dismissed Zak Crawley, reducing England to 72/3 by stumps.
Gill’s knock post-lunch was particularly aggressive. He reached his second century just before tea with a single off Shoaib Bashir and was in full control against spin and pace alike. Rishabh Pant provided fireworks with his trademark fearless batting, launching multiple boundaries and a memorable six off Ben Stokes. He eventually fell after losing control of his bat during a massive heave off Bashir.
Earlier in the day, KL Rahul played a composed innings before being bowled by a peach from Josh Tongue. Karun Nair fell to Brydon Carse after a brief knock. Pant’s explosive entrance lit up the morning session, thrilling the crowd with audacious shots including a six off Tongue and a falling flick off Stokes.
India’s tally of seven centuries in the series is unprecedented in away tours, underscoring their batting dominance. With England’s top order wobbling and a mountain to climb, Day 5 promises a steep challenge for the home team if they hope to salvage a draw or attempt the near-impossible chase.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
