Shubman Gill etched his name in Indian cricket history on Thursday with a monumental 269, the highest Test score by an Indian captain and the most by an Indian batter in a Test outside Asia, but it took a sharp reminder from Mohammed Siraj to complete the script in full.
After over ten hours at the crease across two days, Gill reached his double-century in the 122nd over of India’s first innings at Edgbaston. The celebrations were heartfelt: a fist pump, a beaming smile, helmet off, and a punch in the air before going down on one knee in acknowledgement. But amid the adrenaline and cheers, the India skipper momentarily forgot one thing: his signature bow celebration.
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Having just embraced his batting partner, Washington Sundar, Gill turned towards the Indian dressing room, where Siraj, standing up front among the support staff and players, mimed the familiar gesture with his arms. The message was instant. Gill, still looking at the dressing room, immediately responded with his trademark elegant bow, an act now synonymous with his Test centuries, triggering an even louder applause from the Edgbaston crowd.
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It was a fitting moment to round off what has been a statement innings by the 25-year-old. Not only did he surpass the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sunil Gavaskar in various record books, but he also anchored India’s innings through different phases, from caution to domination, before falling for 269, a knock that featured 30 boundaries and three sixes off 387 deliveries.
{{/usCountry}}It was a fitting moment to round off what has been a statement innings by the 25-year-old. Not only did he surpass the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sunil Gavaskar in various record books, but he also anchored India’s innings through different phases, from caution to domination, before falling for 269, a knock that featured 30 boundaries and three sixes off 387 deliveries.
{{/usCountry}}India’s total of 587 was built around Gill’s masterpiece and contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (89), Yashasvi Jaiswal (87), and Sundar (45). More importantly, it put India in a commanding position after they had lost the first Test at Headingley despite five centuries in the match.
By Stumps on Day 2, England had been reduced to 77/3 in response, with debutant Akash Deep delivering a fiery new-ball spell to remove Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in successive deliveries. The 510-run deficit left England facing a mountain, although the hosts, under Stokes and McCullum, have previously made strong comebacks from improbable situations.