England vs India, 2nd Test, July 2, 2025 - Full Commentary

There were quite a few questions around India's playing XI yesterday, but Shubman Gill was very clear (at the toss) that he desired batting depth in this game. Did he get what he wanted? Too early to say for now, but it was his bat that made all the talking yesterday. India found themselves in a tricky position at 211/5, and Gill played exceptionally well to stitch a near 100-run stand with Jadeja. Remember, the new ball is just 5 overs old, and expect England to come out attacking with the ball.

Following his century at Headingley, Shubman Gill becomes the first Indian batter to score 100 runs on the opening day of a Test in England on two separate instances (13th Indian overall). Before this series, he had never before scored a century in the first innings/first day of a Test.

The second new ball did challenge the edges, but runs came at a brisk pace as well, helping the visitors get past the 300-mark. England will fancy their chances with the new ball, but India will have to be wary in the first hour and would hope for one of Gill or Jadeja to go really big if they are to inch closer to the 450-mark. Should be an exciting day of Test cricket, the weather looks perfect for cricket too. Do join us for all the fun from Edgbaston tomorrow. Cheers!!

Jaiswal looked all set to claim a well-deserved century and also engineered a crucial 66-run stand with skipper Gill for the third wicket. Perhaps due to a lack of strike (faced just 10 balls off the 6 overs before his departure) or loss in concentration at one stage, Jaiswal played a wild cut against Stokes and ended up offering a regulation catch to the keeper on 87. And when Pant joined Gill in the middle, the duo batted with great maturity until the former ran out of patience. He tried to take on Bashir and fell for the trap, holing out to long-on for 25. In the following over, Nitish shouldered arms against Woakes, only to find his stumps rattled. And then it needed the experience of Jadeja and the supremacy of Gill to avoid further damage before stumps. Gill, in particular, was very impressive with his strokeplay. For a major part of his innings, he batted outside the crease to negate the moving ball and also took calculated risks against Bashir to keep the scorecard ticking, scripting his 7th Test ton while at it.

Two staggered slips and a gully.

Will we get one more over in? Looks like it. Woakes to bowl.

Gill is asking a chap in the crowd to sit down. That's why a small delay.