India click in unison to set the stage for a memorable win

Shubman Gill became the first batter to achieve a 250-plus score and a 150-plus score in the same Test match as India set England a gargantuan target of 608 to win the second Test at Edgbaston. An ebullient 110-run partnership between Rishabh Pant and Gill was followed by a 175-run partnership featuring the skipper and Ravindra Jadeja as India got to 427/6 before declaring their second innings an hour into the final session on the fourth day. To make matters worse for the home team, the 16-over period before Stumps saw the fall of three wickets, with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj combining to leave England reeling at 72 for 3.

Having subjected England to a leather-hunt for the majority of this Test, India made early inroads in the fourth innings to tighten their grip on the contest. Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck by Siraj, driving away from his body as substitution Sai Sudharsan caught his loose drive at point. Ben Duckett’s stay was terminated by Akash Deep as he inside-edged the ball onto the stumps.

Akash Deep produced the crown jewel of all the dismissals thus far in the game by knocking Joe Root over with one that angled in from wide of the crease only to jag away and beat the champion batter’s attempted flick. Ollie Pope and Harry Brood had their share of luck but both managed to remain unbeaten at Stumps with England having their task cut out on the final day, needing an improbable 536 more with seven wickets remaining.

Earlier, on an overcast morning, Brydon Carse proved to be the pick of England’s bowlers, making life difficult for the Indian batters with steep bounce and movement. He thwarted the second-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Karun Nair on 45, drawing the resurgent right-hander into a drive and having him caught behind. India, though, kept their foot on the accelerator, reaching 100 inside the first hour with Rahul getting to his fifty before an away-seaming pearler from Josh Tongue cleaned him up.

Rishabh Pant got off the mark in style, guiding a short ball from Tongue past fine leg before launching an emphatic six over long-off. He was put down at mid-off by Crawley off Ben Stokes and England were made to pay for the error. Tounge copped a four and an audacious sweep for a six. The southpaw then pulled Shoaib Bashir, for two fours in his first over, lost control of his bat trying to send a Tongue delivery into the orbit, was nearly caught off a leading edge, and got virtually bowled by the off-spinner. Luck was on his side though and he continued his attacking approach, a boundary off Bashir stretching the lead past 350 before the Lunch break, with India collecting 113 runs off 25 overs in the session.

Pant wasted little time in dictating terms after Lunch, executing a late cut off Bashir for four. Gill then took on Tongue, scything a six over fine-leg followed by two fours as he surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally (449) of most runs in his debut series as India Test captain. Tongue was dispatched for another maximum in that region as both the left-right combination approached their respective fifties. Gill’s 57-ball effort was followed by a 48-ball half-century from Pant; the fourth wicket stand crossing a century. Eventually, Pant handed a catch to long-off in Bashir’s over.

𝗨 𝗡 𝗙 𝗜 𝗟 𝗧 𝗘 𝗥 𝗘 𝗗

Ravi, Root and runs on Day 4 at Edgbaston 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/NiAtX6Kwiq

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 6, 2025

Gill then hammered a four and a six in the same over to blitz his way into the 80s, transcending Sunil Gavaskar’s record worth 344 vs West Indies in 1971 for the highest aggregate by an Indian in the longest format. Ravindra Jadeja began on a cautious note at the other end even as the lead swelled to 450 in the second hour of the session. India reached 300, and shortly thereafter, Gill notched up his second century of the match – becoming the third Indian captain after Gavaskar and Kohli to score two hundreds in a Test – as India procured 127 runs in the session in 30 overs.

Jadeja picked up the pace with the onset of the final session, lofting Bashir downtown. Gill was not to be left behind as Chris Woakes found himself at the receiving end of a six and two fours that helped India zoom past their highest Test aggregate – 916 against Australia at the SCG in 2004. Jadeja struck a four apiece off Bashir and Root to accomplish his second fifty of the match while Gill cleared the rope twice off Root as the lead grew to 550 and the Indian captain became only the fifth player to aggregate 400 or more runs in a Test.

The fifth-wicket partnership consolidated to 150 when Jadeja stroked Root for four, and Gill soon raked up his 150 with a six in the same over. Gill then produced his eighth six of the innings – off Bashir – before perishing to the offie. India did not declare after the captain’s dismissal, however, opting to bat on even after Nitish Reddy was dismissed by Root. Washington Sundar pushed the lead past 600 before Gill appeared in the balcony to finally draw the curtains on their marathon innings.