ENG vs IND | Unbeaten Gill ton keeps India hopeful of big first innings total on competitive Day 1
India rode on the back of a ton from skipper Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal's blistering knock of 87 to head into Stumps well-placed at 310/5, on Day 1 at Edgbaston. With the pitch playing flat, England did well to earn the occasional breakthrough albeit the incumbent partnership reads 99 runs.
Asked to bat first under overcast skies, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul had to endure a tough phase against the new ball with both Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes hitting their lengths and sticking to a tight line. While the former attempted some unfettered hacks and struck a couple of glistening drives to keep the scorecard ticking, his senior partner suffered a tortorous 26-ball stay for just two runs before chopping on a Woakes delivery. Nevertheless, the sun began to peek by the time Karun Nair walked out at three and with his arrival also came the first changes into the bowling attack. It was all the invitation India required as Nair drilled into Josh Tongue with two consecutive boundaries in the quick's first over, while Jaiswal struck three fours in his third to take hold of momentum and soon bring up a 56-ball half-century. However, just when the pair seemed set to make it to Lunch without much ado, a Carse back-of-length delivery sprung up on Nair off the deck to send him packing for 31, with the score at the break 98/2.
The hosts' struggles for a wicket resumed without much improvement after Lunch with Shubman Gill and Jaiswal quickly getting into rhythm. Neither looked bothered in the least by anything England threw at them, the former content with absorbing pressure whenever the English bowlers showed discipline. The partnership had ticked over to 68 when Jaiswal swiped at a wide Stokes delivery unprovoked, only to get a thin edge through to the keeper and be stranded 13 short of a second ton on English soil. Nevertheless, Rishabh Pant proved able company for Gill as the two took India to Tea at 182/3.
England's constant harrowing for a ball change finally found acceptance soon after the interval to spark some hope, but it perhaps had little role to play in Pant charging down Bashir to send the Dukes hurtling down Zak Crawley's throat at long-on and depart for 25. Eight deliveries later, Nitish Kumar Reddy shouldered arms to a Woakes inducker that kissed the top of off-stump, and India suddenly found themselves reeling at 210/5. Through all this chaos, Gill continued to grind at the other end, his tempo well-matched by the equally conservative Ravindra Jadeja for the final phase of play. Quick running between the stumps and measured risk-taking became the hallmark of their partnership that eventually saw the skipper bring up a ton with consecutive boundaries just before the new balll was due. Even the new red cherry did little to threaten the pair as they survived five overs with ease to end the day on 310/5, their partnership a healthy 99 runs.
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