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Edgbaston Test: Gill's serene ton holds India together after wickets gifted

New Delhi: Was it the pitch? Was it the conditions? Was it the bowling? The questions doing the rounds after yet another strange show in good batting conditions by India were many. But with the exception of Shubman Gill, who became just the second Indian captain, after Mohammad Azharuddin, to score hundreds in consecutive matches in England, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, few India batters managed to answer them in a satisfactory manner. After being put into bat by England, India looked like they were in control at various points during the day but then somehow contrived to gift away wickets and end the day on 310/5 in the second Test at Edgbaston. Gill and Jadeja's unbroken stand of 99 helped India fightback after they were reduced to 211/5 on a pitch that didn't have much for the bowlers. It sets up Day 2 nicely. The first day of a Test brings with it a certain kind of excitement. The pitch and the weather influence team selection as does the attitude of the skipper. And when Gill said that Jasprit Bumrah wasn't playing, the groan from the crowd had its own story to tell. The decision gave rise to a slew of memes. And it would have probably got worse but for Gill's brilliance with the bat. Some captains inspire by tactical genius and others by deed, and the 25-year-old in his first series as skipper seems to belong to the latter category. His innings was an example of what India needed - a measured knock that would push England into a corner and take a toll on their bowlers as well. But too many of his teammates chose adventure when perhaps pragmatism was the need of the hour. The early fall of KL Rahul sent a little flutter in the Indian dressing room, but Kaun Nair, promoted up to No.3 in place of the dropped Sai Sudharsan, seemed to settle in nicely. Some well-pitched up deliveries helped him get off the mark with a flurry of fours but just when he looked set, he could not avoid edging a Carse delivery that rose awkwardly to slips. His 31 was a glimpse of what he could bring to the table for India but he'll need to do much more in the series. The wicket brought Gill to the middle and his stand with Jaiswal showed why the two batters are regarded as future stars. They have their own styles - Jaiswal more willing to go after the bowling than Gill while the captain showed that his batting isn't weighed down by the responsibilities of the leadership role. But just when it seemed like Jaiswal would cruise to another century, he fell to the sucker ball by Ben Stokes. It was wide, it was there to be hit but it got the edge England wanted. The left-hander made 87 off 107 balls. Pant walked into the middle and played, by his standards, sedately. But he always looked like he wanted to go after Shoaib Bashir, and eventually that was the end of him. The left-hander was dismissed caught in the deep after making 25. There were runs there for the taking but he was once again let down by his shot selection. This was also an indication of how wickets need to be bought on this pitch. Set the fields, entice the batters and hope they bite. When Nitish Reddy (1) was dismissed nine balls later, shouldering arms to a delivery from Chris Woakes that came in sharply, it looked like India were staring down the barrel. Ravindra Jadeja, however, didn't seem to be perturbed in the slightest by the situation. The 36-year-old batted intelligently and gave Gill good company. When Gill did reach his century, he also became only the third Indian captain - after Azharuddin in New Zealand and England (1990), and Virat Kohli in Australia (2014/15) - to score hundreds in consecutive SENA Tests. Gill would have been under some pressure following the Bumrah call, but he seemed to just shut that out and focus on his batting. The wicket got flatter after lunch but it still needed someone to put his head down and the skipper put his hand up for the team. "A good day, but a frustrating day," said Woakes at close of play. "A couple of decisions go our way early doors and you're looking at a completely different day. We stuck to our task but after lunch the surface felt pretty flat. We stuck at it well, but they played well, credit to Shubman, he played very well and a great partnership with Ravi (Jadeja) as well." Against any other side, 310 runs on Day 1 would have meant that India are in charge but given how England bat, the visitors will know that their bowling will be put under the pump as well. England have taken the second new ball, there isn't much batting to come and India will hope that Gill and Jadeja carry on for a while on Day 2 as well.

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