England vs India: Shubman Gill hits ton as tourists reach 310-5 on day one of second Test after resting Jasprit Bumrah
Shubman Gill (114no) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (87) help India to 310-5 on day one of second Test after losing toss; tourists - 1-0 down in five-match series - rest pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah at Edgbaston; watch day two from 10.15am Thursday (11am first ball)
Thursday 3 July 2025 10:33, UK
Shubman Gill hit a hundred as India reached 310-5 on day one of the second Test against England at Edgbaston after Ben Stokes had no hesitation in inserting the tourists once again following the thrilling victory chasing in the series opener at Headingley.
Stokes had put India in to bat in Leeds a little under two weeks ago and that decision was pored over after his opponents piled on 359-3 on day one, only for England to have the last laugh by pulling off a chase of 371 - their second-highest in Tests - on the final day.
The home captain was not dissuaded by the sun starting to poke through around 10 minutes before the toss in Birmingham on Wednesday and was rewarded for bowling first when the impressive Chris Woakes (2-59) forced KL Rahul (2) to chop on in the ninth over.
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However, vital knocks from visiting skipper Gill (114no off 216 balls) - who notched a patient seventh Test century and second in as many games since assuming the captaincy - and Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 off 107), which were constructed on a slow, flat pitch, meant India were happy at stumps, particularly having been tottering on 211-5.
Gill and Ravindra Jadeja (41no) shared an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 99 after joining forces following two wickets for three runs from 208-3, including that of the dangerous Rishabh Pant for 25.
Jaiswal was not happy, though, when he fell 13 runs short of what would have been a sixth Test ton, fourth versus England and second of this series following his knock of 101 at Headingley - the left-hander livid after chasing a wide ball from Stokes and edging behind.
And ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri was not happy either when it was announced in the morning that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would sit out the game as he manages his workload.
Bumrah has committed to playing three of the five Tests after a back injury last winter and will be absent when England, in all likelihood, attempt another chase later in the match at the venue where they knocked off a national-record 378 against India in 2022.
England take five wickets after electing to bowl in Birmingham
Woakes, bowling on his home ground and looking much sharper than he did at Headingley, could have had three wickets in his opening spell only for two lbw reviews to stick with umpire's call on height.
But the Warwickshire man did account for Rahul, with a batter who had played in such composed fashion in Leeds unsure whether to play or leave Woakes before the seamer made the breakthrough.
Jaiswal, subjected to one of those failed lbw reviews, stitched a stand of 80 with Karun Nair (31) - the latter promoted to No 3 after Sai Sudharsan was dropped - as the pair tucked into a wayward opening burst from Josh Tongue, before Nair then clipped clip a rising delivery from Brydon Carse (1-49) to slip shortly before lunch.
Jaiswal played coruscating strokes through the off-side and it seemed England's best chance of getting him out would be by tucking him up with short balls, only for the opener to waft at Stokes (1-58) outside off stump as his 66-run alliance with Gill was broken.
A double strike after tea then boosted England with first Pant, who had scored a couple of bonkers hundreds in the first Test, holing out off spinner Shoaib Bashir (1-65) at long-on after a shrewd fielding change from Stokes - and Bashir dropping his pace dramatically - had tempted the big shot from the swashbuckling left-hander.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (1), brought into the India side to bolster the batting after lower-order collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 in Leeds, was then castled by Woakes shouldering arms to his sixth ball.
Reddy's inclusion was one of three changes for the tourists as they aimed to level the series; seamer Akash Deep and off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar also coming in as Bumrah, Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur made way.
Washington was vying with left-armer Kuldeep Yadav to serve as India's second spinner and got the nod based on his superior batting, although Kuldeep is a greater wicket-taking threat and could have been useful, especially in the fourth innings.
England went in unchanged, meaning fast bowler Jofra Archer must wait until at least the third Test at Lord's from July 10 to make his international red-ball comeback after four years away following serious elbow and back injuries.
Missed opportunity for England?
Sky Sports Cricket's Nasser Hussain:
"It is probably a bit more of a missed opportunity [than the opening Test]. Before this partnership between [Shubman] Gill and [Ravindra] Jadeja, they were ahead of the game whereas they were never really got ahead at Headingley.
"One thing Stokes has, not only because of his leadership but because of results, is that he has a bowling attack that believe in their captain. They [the bowlers] believe in his decision making
"A tough day at the office, back-to-back bowling days because they haven't changed their side, but you can't fault the efforts of that bowling attack yet again. They were excellent today - I can't think of a bowler that's walking off there today thinking 'I wasn't at my best'."
'England's day could have been different'
England seamer Chris Woakes, speaking to Sky Sports:
"A couple of decisions go our way early doors and all of a sudden they're 30-3 and we're looking at a completely different day ahead.
"I thought we stuck to the task well. The surface just went really flat after lunch - there was not much to work with.
"After a couple of wickets early in that last session we felt we could have kicked on and got into the tail but they played well."
Shastri hails 'disciplined' Gill
Sky Sports Cricket's Ravi Shastri:
"Gill's performance was superb. It was disciplined, he looked solid, looked fantastic. He has worked hard on his defence.
"When he last came to England, he played with hard hands, pushed at the ball, but now, the top hand is in control.
"He allows the ball to come to him, trusts in his defence and has all the shots in the book when he goes on the attack."
Things you might have missed
Watch day two of the second Test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am Thursday (11am first ball) or stream without a contract.
England vs India - results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
- First Test (Headingley) - England won by five wickets
- Second Test (Edgbaston): July 2-6
- Third Test (Lord's): July 10-14
- Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford): July 23-27
- Fifth Test (The Kia Oval): July 31-August 4
