India’s tour of England has begun with an uncomfortable lesson. Having twice allowed commanding positions to slip in Leeds, Shubman Gill wants the responsibility placed squarely on the shoulders of the specialist batters – including himself – before the second Test at Edgbaston.
India were 430-for-3 in the first innings and 340-for-4 in the second yet still contrived to lose by five wickets. A flat pitch offered no clear demons, only a reminder that long hours at the crease remain the currency of Test success.
“When we were batting, I felt I could have, now looking back at it… the kind of shot I played, I felt I could have batted a little bit more, added another 50 runs with Rishabh [Pant],” Gill said. The skipper had reached 147 before mis-cuing Shoaib Bashir to deep square-leg – the moment England sensed a way back.
Post-match conversations focused on a lower order that added just 72 runs across two innings. Gill, however, pushed the debate higher up. “Definitely [chats have been had],” he said. “It’s been one of the things that we always talk about, especially with our batting depth… the lower order sometimes isn’t able to contribute as much as the other teams.”
He doubled down on that point when asked whether the tail needs a sterner brief. “Having said that, you can also look at the other side as well. I was batting on 147 and the way I got out, maybe I could have scored 50 more in partnership with Rishabh. If you get a good ball and you get out, that’s fine, but once you are set and you know that you don’t really have that much depth in your batting order, maybe the top order could take a little bit more responsibility and bat the opposition completely out of the game. So I think these are different perspectives to look at the game, but definitely your lower order when your last five or six don’t contribute as much, then it becomes easier for the opposition to come back in the game.”
Selection at Edgbaston will reflect those realities. Jasprit Bumrah is fit but may be rotated, the management mindful of using him in only three of the five Tests. The surface looked dry two days out, Birmingham having enjoyed an uncharacteristically warm build-up. That has pushed the think-tank towards a second spinner – Washington Sundar adds batting depth, Kuldeep Yadav offers wrist-spin bite.
“When we were bowling, there were learnings like once the ball is getting old and it’s getting soft, there isn’t much happening,” Gill noted. “So how do you contain? How do you control the run flow, especially with the way they bat? Maybe having an extra spinner might help contain that run flow, especially in the third or in the fourth innings.”
The captain kept team specifics guarded. Asked whether Bumrah’s absence would open the door for Kuldeep, he replied: “We will take that [final] call this evening, and I don’t it will change the combination as such,” hinting at a like-for-like seamer swap and a spinner potentially coming in for Shardul Thakur, who delivered only 12 overs at Headingley.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri, speaking on television, backed Gill’s broader message. “England bat deep; if India lose wickets in clumps, the pressure doubles. Someone from the top four has to go big.” England assistant Marcus Trescothick sounded a note of caution, saying the home side “expect India’s response to be strong – they usually learn quickly”.
Edgbaston traditionally favours pace early on, but cracks and warm weather can bring spin into play as the match wears on. Batting first remains attractive, especially if the overheads stay calm. In that context, Gill’s plea for duration rather than decoration makes sense.
A single defeat does not define a five-Test series. Yet India’s margin for error is slimmer on away tours, and the skipper knows it. Avoid another middle-order wobble, find the right balance with ball in hand, and parity is within reach. Fail, and England’s momentum could become a hard habit to break.
