Shubman Gill digs in for a ton to steady India and hold off England’s battling bowlers

At the end of a hard-fought opening day in which just 85 overs were bowled, both sides were happier than some of the punters heard growling about the delays on the way out.

India? They had been stuck in and reached 310 for five by stumps courtesy of Shubman Gill’s second century of the series. England? They never get too hung up about the runs column and after a victory at Headingley that saw them claim just three wickets on day one, no one could claim to be staggered by Ben Stokes opting to bowl first.

Once again the bet from Stokes was that the surface will stay true to the end and, though fifth days are not a thing in the County Championship, the cricket witnessed at Edgbaston this season supports the theory. Nevertheless, Stokes will be keen to shut down his opposite number on the second morning, with Gill’s watchful but typically elegant 114 from 216 balls following an earlier 87 from Yashasvi Jaiswal that was far punchier.

If the five-wicket defeat last week taught India anything it is that they must kick on significantly to take control of this Test match. To that end, and clearly mindful of repeating the two collapses that cost them in Leeds, they have packed their lower order with all-rounders. Ravindra Jadeja is among them and his experience told in the final session, the left-hander’s unbeaten 41 helping to add 99 runs alongside Gill.

India’s selection still raised eyebrows, however, with the wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav once again overlooked and, more surprisingly, Jasprit Bumrah taking a breather despite a 1-0 deficit and a week to recharge. The world’s No 1 bowler has been held back for the third Test at Lord’s apparently, prompting their former head Ravi Shastri to boom “no ifs and buts, he should be playing” in that familiar oak-panelled voice.

View image in fullscreen Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts hard on his way to 87. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

England might have been tempted to do the same with Chris Woakes, so stellar is his record at the so-called home of cricket. But this would have denied the 36-year-old an outing on the ground he would no doubt hand that particular title to. And in the end Stokes was grateful for his attack leader’s local knowledge. Figures of two for 59 from 21 overs held things together from an English perspective.

The tone was set by Woakes during a morning that saw India hustle to 98 for two, his hour-long burst of seven overs, four maidens, one for 15 simply sublime. Woakes had it on a string – no surprise, perhaps, given he honed his wrist position with a yo-yo during his early years at Warwickshire – and could easily have wiped out the top three. Two lbw shouts against Jaiswal, on 12, and Karun Nair, offering no shot on five, were turned down by umpire Sharfuddoula; both reviews saw umpire’s call flash up on the big screen.

Woakes instead had to settle for the solitary removal of KL Rahul before lunch. The opener got in a funk against Woakes’s probing length from the City End and played on to his stumps for a 26-ball two. But the session swung India’s way once Woakes and the notably sharp Brydon Carse took a breather, with a bumper barrage from Josh Tongue – interspersed with half-volleys – allowing Jaiswal and Nair to get the scoreboard moving.

View image in fullscreen Chris Woakes celebrates the dismissal of KL Rahul. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

It took the return of Carse to even things up before the break, the fast bowler extracting some extra lift and a catch flying to slip off the shoulder of Nair’s bat. With 31 to his name, and having moved up to No 3 as part of India’s shuffle, Nair had made the second-highest score of his curious Test career, albeit still some way behind that remarkable triple century against England in Chennai nine years ago.

With the early cloud cover making way for blue skies overhead, Gill happy to sit in and Jaiswal no longer gifted any short stuff, the afternoon was a comparatively calm affair. India added 84 runs to their stash and the Hollies Stand was dozing. That was until the Botham-esque golden arm of Stokes delivered a caffeine hit 20 minutes before tea, Jaiswal’s eyes lighting up at a long hop only to under-edge a cut shot behind.

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Shoaib Bashir had again been performing a solid holding role yet the arrival of Rishabh Pant, fresh from those twin centuries, threatened to derail this. One early six whipped over cow corner certainly hinted as much. But after a relatively patient start, Pant was undone for 25 courtesy of a brave bit of extra loop from the off-spinner and a fine tumbling catch from Zak Crawley on the rope.

Enter Nitish Kumar Reddy, the first of the all-rounders and, though just 22, a player organised enough to score a century in Melbourne last December. It was not an immediate success, however, with 208 for four in the 61st over becoming 211 for five in the 62nd when he was bowled by Woakes offering no shot. The angle did for Reddy here, as well as the latest replacement Dukes ball in a series already littered with them.

But with Jadeja soon chiselling away at the other end, Gill steered his side to safety at stumps and, after overcoming a pause for a sore back that triggered jeers from the crowd, brought up three-figures in the process.

India’s captain has now corrected a previously poor record in England on this tour, even if thoughts of what the hosts might do on this surface against an attack shorn of Bumrah are likely to linger.

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