ENG vs IND, 2025, 2nd Test, Day 1: Under fire skipper Gill scores valiant ton; India 310-5 at stumps

ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights: Skipper Shubman Gill’s valiant century steers Team India to 310/5 at stumps

Brief Scores: India 310/5 (Shubman Gill 114*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87, Chris Woakes 2/59) vs England at stumps on Day 1. 

After England’s impressive five-wicket victory during the opening Test in Headingley, it was India’s turn to make a strong comeback during the second fixture at Edgbaston. The tourists haven’t won a single red-ball clash at this venue with seven defeats and one drawn result in eight attempts. 

On a chilly morning, Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl with an unchanged playing eleven. Shubman Gill dropped the biggest news of resting Jasprit Bumrah considering the Lord’s Test next week. India strengthened their lower-order with the presence of Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar. Akash Deep also got a chance. 

The surface looked dry underneath with spin expected to come into play from the fourth day. Kuldeep Yadav could have been a perfect choice for this clash but the Blue Brigade decided against that. 

Let’s take a look at how the three sessions panned out on Day 1 of the second Eng vs Ind 2025 series at Edgbaston: 

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 62 carries India to 98/2 at lunch 
India openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, were tentative against the new ball. They didn’t attack the bowlers in the first 40 minutes and the home team got their reward in the form of Rahul’s wicket. The right-handed batter was puzzled by the bounce and he chopped it onto the stumps. 

Karun Nair, the new number three, eased the nerves with successive drives for boundaries. Stokes used the short ball planning against Jaiswal. But the southpaw kept playing his shots. He pulled, cut, and slapped the bowlers to record his 11th Test half-century. 

Just five minutes before lunch, Brydon Carse sent Nair back on 31. The ball bounced awkwardly to take Nair’s gloves and ended up in the hands of the slip fielder. India finished the first session with 98/2. 

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Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal push India to 182/3 at tea 
From the beginning to the end of the second session, Gill was cautious of his approach. England bowled in the right line and length and didn’t give him the chance to free his arms. Perhaps the dry spell of runs brought Jaiswal’s wicket on 87. The left-handed batter looked to cut Stokes but got a feather edge into the wicket-keeper’s gloves. 

Gill, however, wasn’t fussed about this and continued his progression. He went to the break on undefeated 42 runs in 109 balls. Rishabh Pant, at number five, smacked Shoaib Bashir for a six as India reached 182/3 at the tea break. 

Shubman Gill’s 114* propel India to 310/5 at stumps
England kept the field position tight for the wicket-keeper batter from the start of the session. And Pant fell into the trap. He used his feet to nail Bashir and found Zak Crawley at long-on. A few balls later, Nitish Reddy’s bad leave against Chris Woakes saw the ball breaking the furniture. 

India felt the pressure. But Gill was calm as Ravindra Jadeja, who celebrated a fine century at this ground in 2022, came to the rescue. They put up a fifty-run stand for the sixth wicket. The touring captain registered his seventh century in the format as the visitors finished with 310/5 on the opening day. 

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What to expect on Day 2
After getting to bat under fine conditions and picking two spinners on the side, India’s first aim will be to get at least 430 runs on the board in the first inning. For that, they have to ensure Gill survives the first 30-40 minutes on the second day. England will be happy with anything under the 400-run mark. 

Statistical Highlights from 2nd ENG vs IND 2025 Test, Day 1: 

• Jaiswal & Nair brought up only the second 50+ partnership for the second wicket for India against England at Edgbaston. Earlier in 2011, Rahul Dravid & Gautam Gambhir had added 51 for this wicket at the venue.
• Jaiswal (87) now has the highest individual Test score by an India opener at Edgbaston. The second-highest belongs to Sudhir Naiks (77).
• Jaiswal has scored the second-most Test runs (904) against England since January 2020. 
• Jaiswal now has 904 runs at an average of 82.18 against England in Tests. This average against England is second only to Donald Bradman who scored 5028 runs against the Britishers at an average of 89.78. (Minimum 900 runs). 
• Jaiswal has an average of 10 in Tests against Stokes besides two dismissals. 
• Jaiswal and Gill registered India’s third-highest partnership (66) for the third wicket at Edgbaston. 
• Gill brought up his fourth 50+ score in SENA countries.
• India’s top three partnerships added 161 runs in the first innings at Edgbaston. This is now the highest tally for this category at the said venue, surpassing the 139 India registered in 1986.
• Gill becomes the second India captain to bring up a Test century at Edgbaston. Virat Kohli was the first one when he got 149 in 2018
  
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