India captain Gill piles on the runs against England in second Test

AFP | London

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India captain Shubman Gill posted his highest Test score of 168 not out as he continued to lead from the front against England at Edgbaston yesterday.

India were 419-6 at lunch on the second day of the second Test, with Gill and Ravindra Jadeja (89) sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 203.

For the second match in a row the 25-year-old Gill had bettered his Test-best score after making 147 in last week’s five-wicket loss at Headingley, where England went 1-0 up in a five-match series India scored 109 runs in the session’s 25 overs and almost got through without losing a wicket.

But 10 minutes before the interval, Jadeja fell in sight of a fifth Test hundred when he gloved a short ball from fast bowler Josh Tongue to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. The all-rounder faced 137 balls, in-cluding 10 fours and a six.

India, again sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes, resumed on 310-5.

Gill was 114 not out after becoming just the seventh player to to score a century in each of his first two (or more) Tests as captain.

It was also, statistically at least, the most secure Test hundred on record in England since analysts Cricviz began recording such statistics in 2006.

On Wednesday, Gill’s false shot percentage of just 3.5 percent. The average when making a hundred in England is 12 percent.

Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed a typically entertaining 87 before Gill received sound support from Jadeja (41 not out) in a partnership worth 99 at Wednesday’s close.

But India, batting in ideal sunny conditions yesterday, now wanted even more runs from their fifth-wicket after collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 cost them dear at Headingley.

It was not long before Jadeja went to 50 with a single off local hero Chris Woakes.

Jadeja celebrated with his trademark ‘sword dance’ wave of the bat to huge cheers from the large number of India fans in the crowd.

There was more applause for Jadeja when the left-handed batsman struck successive fours off Stokes, with a superb backfoot punch through extra-cover followed by a cut off a loose delivery.