TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: Kuldeep Yadav missed a spot within the XI for the Edgbaston Check vs England as a result of the lower-order collapses have been nonetheless taking part in on the Indian group administration’s thoughts. Dropping 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in each innings of the Headingley Check meant coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill went in search of insurance coverage down the order, even when it got here at the price of leaving a real wicket-taker out of the group sheet for a match the place your premium quick bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, was warming the bench as a result of workload administration.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 subsequent man in, with Washington Sundar nonetheless to come back. Yet another wicket may have drawn curtains, however Jadeja resisted, Gill carried on, and India ensured there have been no extra casualties earlier than the umpires flipped the bails and referred to as stumps.The day had its moments for either side, and whereas England would be the happier lot having picked 5 wickets on a wicket that didn’t have rather a lot for bowlers, for India, Gill’s unbeaten ton of sophistication—his second in as many video games as India’s new Check captain—helps them regroup for Day 2 with a wholesome complete on the board.Transient ScoresIndia: 310 for five after 85 overs (Shubman Gill 114*; Yashasvi Jaiswal 87; Chris Woakes 2/59)
