TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: Kuldeep Yadav missed a spot in the XI for the Edgbaston Test vs England because the lower-order collapses were still playing on the Indian team management’s mind. Losing 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in both innings of the Headingley Test meant coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill went looking for insurance down the order, even if it came at the cost of leaving a genuine wicket-taker out of the team sheet for a match where your premium fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, was warming the bench due to workload management.Not one, not two, but India made three changes for the second fixture of the five-Test series, and all those moves pointed in one direction—extend the batting depth, get that extra cushion in the lower middle order, and assemble a supporting cast for the three quicks Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The support cast for the bowling bit is a discussion for a different day, as the early spotlight was on the batting group India had. After a Test where the fifth bowling option was hardly used by Gill, the team decided to add a sixth, and it came at the cost of specialist batter Sai Sudharsan and also forced a change in the batting position of Karun Nair, who was promoted to No.3.
The Lunch
There was an early hiccup with the wicket of KL Rahul, but the Indian change room would have been a much more relaxed place when Yashasvi Jaiswal got going with Karun Nair. Together, the duo dominated the morning session before that period of play right before the Lunch break came to haunt India again. In both innings of the Headingley Test, India lost wickets, and the trend continued at Edgbaston too, where Nair was undone by a Brydon Carse delivery that rose sharply to find his edge.
Poll
What is your opinion on India’s decision to prioritize batting depth over specialist bowlers?
The Block
It still wasn’t time for alarm bells, as a very confident Gill walked in and was ready with a plan for the passage of play. Just like the team selection for this fixture, the captain put a very defensive foot forward but looked very assured with his footwork and use of the crease. While facing Chris Woakes, he was way outside the popping crease and chose to use the depth while facing someone like Carse. Meanwhile, Jaiswal continued to be fluent from one end, while Gill was building his knock—one block at a time.The blocks have now become the highlight of Gill’s approach in England. There is a nice stride forward, the bat remains close to the pad to cover for the incoming deliveries that have troubled him in the past, and the head remains still and right over the impact point of the ball meeting the bat. Everything is so correct that he has often held the pose to turn muse for the photographers.It was a stark contrast from the way he built his innings in Leeds and clearly showed he wanted to bat long, and big, for his side. They had extended the batting, and Gill’s different approach seemed like a plan where he wanted the rest to bat around him.
That Moment
Jaiswal fell short of another well-deserved hundred against an opposition he has scored at least a fifty against in the seven Tests. Rishabh Pant came, survived, did his bit, fell to Shoaib Bashir, and Reddy shouldering arms to a Woakes in-dipper meant India were in a spot of bother with five, including the all-rounder at No.6, back in the hut.It wasn’t a moment to lose sleep over because India had beefed up their batting for situations like these, and Ravindra Jadeja was the next man in, with Washington Sundar still to come. One more wicket could have drawn curtains, but Jadeja resisted, Gill carried on, and India ensured there were no more casualties before the umpires flipped the bails and called stumps.The day had its moments for both sides, and while England will be the happier lot having picked five wickets on a wicket that didn’t have a lot for bowlers, for India, Gill’s unbeaten ton of class—his second in as many games as India’s new Test captain—helps them regroup for Day 2 with a healthy total on the board.Brief ScoresIndia: 310 for 5 after 85 overs (Shubman Gill 114*; Yashasvi Jaiswal 87; Chris Woakes 2/59)
