Shubman Gill put on a show on Day 2 of the second Test between India and England and Vaibhav Suryavanshi was among the under-19 stars who were there at Edgbaston to witness it. Gill scored 269 in 387 balls which helped India put up a mammoth total 587. India then went on to take three wickets to finish the second day firmly on top.
The India U19 team is also in England, touring the nation for five Youth ODIs and two Youtn tests. Their coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said in a video posted on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) website that National Cricket Academy (NCA) head and batting great VVS Laxman was instrumental in making sure that the colts were at Edgbaston on the day.
“VVS Laxman was instrumental in arranging this. He was the one who actually said that it would be a good thing to go and watch this game. It’s definitely a special occasion for any upcoming cricketer to be at a Test venue,” said Kanitkar in a video posted by BCCI.
Gill shared a stand of 203 runs off 279 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137) and 144 with Washington Sundar (42 off 103) and all of this allowed India to set up a mammoth total of 587. England then lost three wickets before Stumps on Day 2. India then started the third day in emphatic fashion, with Mohammed Siraj sending back Joe Root and Ben Stokes off consecutive deliveries in just the second over of the day. However, India have since been flattened by a mammoth stand between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, both of whom have scored centuries.
Gill, who became the 26th Indian cricketer to hit a Test double hundred, also became the first Asian captain to score a double hundred in a Test match in England with his 387-ball knock of 269. It also meant that he made the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in England as he surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 scored at the Oval. His knock is also the highest-ever Test score by an Indian captain as he surpassed Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in 2019.
