Cricket has a way of connecting moments across time. On Friday at Lord’s, Shubman Gill was dismissed for 16, caught by the wicketkeeper. A soft edge off Chris Woakes did the trick. It was a clever setup from England, knowing Gill tends to bat outside his crease. The moment felt ordinary — until someone checked the archives. Exactly 13 years ago, on 11 September 2011, a young Virat Kohli played his first ODI at Lord’s. He too scored 16 runs, and was also dismissed caught by the keeper. The similarities are uncanny. Both knocks came on the 11th of the month. Both ended on 16. Both batters, at different stages in their careers, walked off to the same Lord’s applause. Kohli was just starting out in England. Gill, leading India in a Test for the first time at the venue, arrived already in red-hot form.
Also Read: Shubman Gill mirrors Virat Kohli’s career: From U-19 to Test captaincy records -coincidences aplenty The format may have been different — ODI for Kohli, Test for Gill — but the symmetry remains hard to ignore.Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah earned a spot on the honours board with a five-wicket haul. His spell in the morning broke the back of England’s innings as they were bowled out for 387. Joe Root scored his eighth Test hundred at Lord’s, while Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse added useful runs down the order. In reply, India ended Day 2 on 145 for 3, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 58. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Karun Nair both got starts but couldn’t carry on. Gill’s dismissal stood out, not just because it was well-planned, but because it echoed a strangely familiar past.
