TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: India captain Shubman Gill was at his majestic best in the second Test, both as a batter and leader. He scored a brilliant 269 in the first innings, followed by a commanding 161 in the second, and then led India to a historic victory at Edgbaston — their first-ever Test win at the venue. After losing the opening Test by five wickets at Headingley, India bounced back emphatically to level the five-match series 1-1 with a crushing 336-run win.Gill’s performance earned praise from all quarters — including England captain Ben Stokes.“He played amazingly well at Headingley, but here — especially in the first innings — he was outstanding,” Stokes said at the post-match press conference.Chasing a world-record target of 608 runs, England started Day 5 at 72/3 with a draw being their best hope. However, they were eventually bowled out for 271.
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Stokes also acknowledged the impact of India’s pace attack, particularly Akash Deep, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.“Akash Deep used his angles well and was very accurate. He was zoning in on that crack. Very skillful,” Stokes said.“If we had been able to break through when they were five down in the first innings, things could have been different. Having them at 200/5, we were happy — but we just couldn’t finish them off,” he added.With Jasprit Bumrah expected to return for India, England might consider bringing back Jofra Archer for the third Test — his first since February 2021.
On the possibility of Archer’s return, Stokes said: “We’ll see how everyone pulls up… everyone is in consideration at the moment.”
