Key events
140th over: India 559-7 (Gill 261, Deep 0) Pope misses a run-out chance when Deep is slow to react to Gill’s call. Just one from the over.
I know it’s an unfair comparison, but Bashir has figures of 1 for 152 to Root’s 1 for 16. I’ve thought all year that England should pick five seamers plus Root in Australia, except perhaps at Sydney, and scorecards like this only reinforce that opinion.
139th over: India 558-7 (Gill 259, Deep 0) Root greets the new batter Akash Deep with a bouncer before almost sneaking a straight one under his bat. Deep was saved by a bottom edge.
“It’s obviously a road and you can imagine a few of England’s batters filling their boots on it too, particularly with India minus Bumrah,” says Phil Harrison. “But this is a staggering knock from Gill. India were staring into the abyss when Reddy was out and the pressure on him at that point was intense. Takes some real strength of character to come through like this.”
WICKET! India 558-7 (Sundar b Root 42)
A wicket for England at last – but India might be the happier team because it was a jaffa from Root. It curved onto off and middle stump, from round the wicket, and straightened sharply to hit the stumps as Sundar pushed defensively down the line. Root celebrates almost angrily, as if he’s had enough of the game meandering. But if Root can get the ball to straighten that sharply on day two, goodness knows what Kuldeep Jadeja and Sundar might achieve on day five.
138th over: India 556-6 (Gill 259, Sundar 41) “Brian Withington (over 131) is spot on,” says Dave Adams. “It’s classic ECB decision-making, and no surprise whatsoever that the galaxy brain of Key is behind it. Let’s improve our Ashes attack by getting a load of bowlers who won’t be going to Australia to use the Kookaburra ball. Genuinely can’t see where/how we take 20 wickets over there. Saying that, I’m struggling to see us getting 20 wickets in this match, and we’ve already got 6 of them.”
With the caveat that I didn’t pay through the nose to watch 800 play 600, I would politely disagree. I think Rob Key will eventually be recognised as one of the most important figures in English cricket history, just as Eoin Morgan eventually was. Morgan was criticised a lot more than we remember between 2015 and 2018, mainly for doing things differently. But we probably don’t have time to get into a back and forth on that, not with this innings on a knife edge.
137th over: India 551-6 (Gill 257, Sundar 39) A rank bad ball from Root is pulled for four by Sundar. Whether you agree with the balance of India’s team or not, nobody – not even Roy Keane – can deny that he’s done the job for which he was picked at No8.
Gill makes highest score by an Indian captain
136th over: India 546-6 (Gill 256, Sundar 35) Gill turns Bashir for a single to move to 255, which makes this the highest Test score by an Indian captain. The broken record is Virat Kohli’s 254 against South Africa in 2019; they won that game by an innings.
135th over: India 543-6 (Gill 254, Sundar 34) Root replaces Brook at the Sour Overs End. The other end has a very similar name. One from the over. By their standards, England are rattling through the overs.
“This England team loves setting new records,” says Steve Pye, “but I’m starting to wonder what is the highest score a team has made in a Test match after being inserted?”
That record might be beyond them: it’s 735 for 6, Australia v Zimbabwe 2003.
134th over: India 542-6 (Gill 253, Sundar 34) Sundar edges Bashir wide of slip for three. That was a nicec delivery, which gripped and turned from the footmarks. This is only the second afternoon so India’s two spinners should have moist lips. And at the considerable risk of repeating myself, the omission of Kuldeep Yadav is almost mind-blowing.
Shubman Gill hits a glorious 250!
133rd over: India 537-6 (Gill 251, Sundar 31) Gill scrunches Brook through the covers for four, then edges wide of Smith for another boundary to bring up his 250. Hard to know what’s more extraordinary: that Gill has maded 250 or that he almost got out to Harold Cherrington Brook.
Brook reacted by falling to his knees in mock agony, then had a jocular word with Gill at the non-striker’s end. I wouldn’t say England are enjoying themselves, but they’re making the best of a bad scoreboard.
132nd over: India 526-6 (Gill 241, Sundar 30) Flat pitch or not, Shubman Gill is playing the most gorgeous innings, one that people will still be talking about in 2075. He takes a couple of steps down the pitch to whip Bashir elegantly and emphatically over midwicket. That’s his third six to go with 27th fours and hundreds of watertight forward defences.
131st over: India 518-6 (Gill 234, Sundar 29) Sundar works Brook to third man and steals a second. Not sure what else to tell you. This feels like cricket’s version of Radiohead’s honesty box, in which India get to pick their own first-innings score so long as it’s between 500 and 700.
“Quite a lot of grumbling on the CCLive! blog (and elsewhere) this week about the continued Kookaburra ball experiment in the County Championship,” says Brian Withington. “Exhibit A of many specimens for the prosecution would be the 820-9 racked up by Surrey followed by Durham’s second innings 262-0 to secure the bore draw.
“It’s understood that Rob Key is instigator in chief of the initiative, on the basis that English bowlers should be expected to work harder for their wickets, with more emphasis on genuine pace and penetrative spin bowling rather than ‘dobbing seamers’ exploiting their favoured Dukes ball.
“Given the absence of any England players in the last round of county matches, and the unwarranted assistance which the prominently seamed Dukes is currently providing, should we be giving the Kookaburra a go in Test matches, too?”
Very droll.
130th over: India 515-6 (Gill 234, Sundar 26) Bashir returns to the attack in place of Carse, whose lifter to dismiss Karun Nair yesterday morning feels a long time ago. No sign yet of India pushing for a declaration – Washington Sundar has a strike rate of 32 – and the Sky commentator Dinesh Karthik reckons it will be based on time rather than runs. It’ll probably be around 5pm, assuming they are still batting.
“Gervase Greene in Sydney here, waiting for the tetchy transmitter to be erected so they can beam a signal in from Grenada,” writes Gervase Greene. “Is Shubman Gill the neatest cricketer ever? Yes, technically and aesthetically he’s right up there. But 230 runs so far, he doesn’t even breathe heavily. He doesn’t sweat. And his kit still looks like he picked it up from the laundry an hour ago. I suspect his socks are well-ironed.”
I’d still pick Alec Stewart. Never mind the famously immaculate kitbag and pristine strokeplay; he was so neat that, having been born on 8 April 1963, he made sure to finish his Test career with 8463 runs.
129th over: India 510-6 (Gill 231, Sundar 24) Brook is trying to weird the batters out. The fact he’s bowling at all is weird enough; he’s also moving fielders to all parts, changing the length of his run-up and occasionally bowling from well behind the crease. No joy, but three points for trying.
“Some talk before this Test that no bowler would want to step aside in favour of Jofra Archer at Lord’s,” says Gary Naylor. “There might be some volunteers now.”
128th over: India 508-6 (Gill 230, Sundar 23) Gill brings up the 500 with a quietly brilliant stroke, backing away to swat a short ball from Carse through point for four. Gill’s innings has been a masterclass in classical batting but now it’s time to defenestrate the textbook.
India get four bonus runs when a short ball from Carse slithers under Smith and away to the boundary.
127th over: India 499-6 (Gill 225, Sundar 23) Harry Brook continues with two men on the drive, Pope and Stokes, just in case Gill loses concentration. He does not.
Swathi has written in with a tribute to an exquisite innings.
What an absolute thrill
To watch Shubman Gill
Purring like a Rolls Royce
With aplomb and poise
I just can’t keep still
Thanks Tom, hello everyone. There’s more than one way to lead from the front. Shubman Gill doesn’t pick fights, show the strain of adversity, beat his chest. But he is playing a truly great – and possibly unique – captain’s innings: serene, technically flawless, fiercely defiant and vital for his team at a crunch point in the series.
126th over: India 496-6 (Gill 222, Sundar 23). Carse tries his best to work Sundar over, but he’s looking pretty composed now, doing enough to justify his No 8 selection. Though I suspect India will find it harder, later, to justify Kuldeep’s non-selection.
“India and England might not have played all time classics,” points out Arul Kanhere, “but the 4-1 loss in England was not as bad and the tied series was good too (I dream about that last test not being postponed) and the England touring party didn’t do too bad…..they had India reeling at various points but failed to capitalise.”
Fair point, I think I’m just overly affected by India’s capitulation in 2014 – which rendered a couple of my last-day tickets redundant – and England’s in 2016-17.
Anyway, that’s drinks. And with that I must bid you farewell and hand over to Rob Smyth. Enjoy.
ReplyForward
125th over: India 496-6 (Gill 222, Sundar 23). Oh hello. Harry Brook’s having a bowl, with his dibbly medium-pacers. They were just talking on comms earlier about Mark Butcher’s wicket-taking spell against Australia here in 2001 (when Gilchrist got a huge hundred; I was at that, an education in modern batting). Anyway, Gill cuts for one four, then straight drives for two more. Not sure this is going to be a long spell …
124th over: India 484-6 (Gill 210, Sundar 23). Tongue is given what I expect is a well-needed breather as pace replaces pace with Carse, who hurries up Sundar with one speared into his midriff that almost results in him playing on. Then, a rarity – Gill almost offers a chance as he pulls high down to deep square leg but it bounces safely.
“This is niche,” writes Jon. That’s fine, we’re all about the niche at OBO towers, “but Josh Tongue bowling to Shubman Gill is a winner for Lake District aficionados (Tongue Gill is a stream running down from Fairfield and Grizedale Tarn…). With players like Harry Brook and Rory Burns, there must be similar nature-themed combinations on the cards in cricket?”
123rd over: India 482-6 (Gill 209, Sundar 32). Bashir trots through another over, and is reverse-swept magnificently yet again for four by Gill, who repeats the trick off the last ball of the over. This is so good.
“For the sake of the future of Indian cricket and talented youngsters like Gill and Jaiswal, I hope India wins at least a Test or two in this series,” adds Krishnamoorthy. “Else it will all be about the absence of Kohli and Sharma and such an impression will not be good for Indian cricket.” I think Indian cricket will be fine to be honest, even if they’ve underachieved recently relative to the talent at their disposal. But I agree we need a close series – there’ve not been many between these sides in recent times.
200 up for Shubman Gill!
122nd over: India 472-6 (Gill 200, Sundar 21). Tongue and Stokes make Gill wait with some painstaking field setting. But Gill’s unfazed, as he has been all match, and effortlessly pulls a short ball down to fine leg to bring up an exquisite double-hundred. He takes an exaggerated old-school bow to mark a wonderful old-school innings. Tongue continues to bang it in short at Sundar from both over and around the wicket but to no avail. This partnership now worth a valuable 58. And that 500 milestone should be reached.
121st over: India 471-6 (Gill 199, Sundar 21). A maiden from Bashir calms things down a bit. “At the risk of sounding old fashioned,” telegrams Keith Astbury, “I couldn’t believe that The Guardian’s end of play report last night said both teams would be pleased with 310 for 5. I’m sure India were more than fairly satisfied, but I can’t believe England would/should be, having put the opposition in. The comment was clearly influenced by recent exceptional run-chases rather than any rational view, though admittedly I’m of a generation that would consider England scoring 310 in total to be almost the stuff of dreams, whereas 470 for 6, as I type, is definitely becoming a bit of a nightmare.”
It’s a sobering moment in anyone’s life when we start using the phrase, “I’m of the generation that …” but modern cricket brings it out in us all.
120th over: India 471-6 (Gill 199, Sundar 21). Tongue, who’s bowled a long old spell of nine overs either side of lunch, continues, and continues to extract more bounce and pace than the rest of the attack, and he almost forces Sundar to offer up a catch but the left-hander glances awkwardly just beyond Joe Root at leg slip for four. There’s nothing awkward about his next shot though – it’s hoiked round the corner high into the crowd for SIX. A confident pull for one then once more keeps his captain at the non-striker’s end for the start of the next over.
119th over: India 460-6 (Gill 199, Sundar 10). A single off Bashir takes Gill to 199, giving Sundar some rare scoring opportunities, which he takes when he flicks a wayward ball down to the fine leg boundary for four. Sundar, emboldened, retains the strike with a quick single off the last ball of the over.
“Re. Anand’s question as to when England will regret the decision of putting India in? – or does Bazball have no regrets ?” writes Carl Jones. “I think you may have picked the wrong song there. England may have a few regrets, but then again, too few to mention and I suspect they’ll continue to do it their way …”
118th over: India 454-6 (Gill 198, Sundar 5). Here comes a shot of the day contender from Gill for any old-school Proper Cricket purist – a threaded, perfectly timed cover drive off Tongue. The captain picks up four more with a flick to the deep square leg boundary that prompts the pursuing Root and Crawley to collide. A well run two takes Gill to 197, whereupon he mis-hits a pull and almost gloves behind and a single off the last ball retains the strike.
117th over: India 443-6 (Gill 187, Sundar 5). Gill charges at a slower Bashir ball that’s drifting away from him and plonks it high over long-off to land bang on the cushion for SIX more. Even his slogs seem risk-less – wonderful batting. Another single ensues when Stokes and Bashir get in each other’s way and the ball skids past both of them. It’s been that kind of day so far.
116th over: India 435-6 (Gill 179, Sundar 5). This is now India’s highest ever total at Edgbaston, fact fans. They extend it by one from an uneventful Tongue over.
115th over: India 435-6 (Gill 179, Sundar 5). Gill mis-plays a reverse-sweep attempt and under-edges onto his pad, prompting brief excitement from Bashir, to the refrains of what sounds like a Bhangra band playing in the crowd? Decent over from the spinner anyway.
Anyone else find those Vitality ads on the UK telly coverage between overs deeply unfunny and irritating, actually?
114th over: India 433-6 (Gill 178 Sundar 4). Gill and Sundar milk some easy singles before Tongue digs one in a bit sharper at an evasive action-taking Sundar.
“When did the curators of the pitches in England take their lessons from Galle, Sri Lanka?” asks Krishnamoorthy. “A match on the M25 can be more exciting. On pitches like these, you need a Waqar Younis who never needed a pitch with his heat seeking yorkers.”
Perhaps when Archer and Wood return we’ll run out of roads.
113th over: India 429-6 (Gill 176, Sundar 2). Gill is perfectly happy taking singles off the first ball of overs, an expression of faith in the late-order team selection. Sundar obliges by gliding an easy single down to third off Bashir. But there’s no doubting who the set batter is, Gill creaming another tremendous cover drive through the gaps for four.
112th over: India 422-6 (Gill 170, Sundar 1). Tongue is, rightly for now, kept on at the pavilion end, still trying to wring some bounce out of this thing. He moves his field in for Sundar and keeps him on his toes with a couple speared sharply in from round the wicket at the left-hander’s torso. He’s also, like the others, prone to over-stepping and concedes a no-ball. Accurate over nonetheless.
Afternoon session: 111th over: India 420-6 (Gill 169, Sundar 1). This next hour feels pivotal; in it we’ll get closer to finding out whether India have collapse-proofed themselves. Bashir gets us under way again from the City End. He keeps to a nice tight length, which almost panics Washington into an ill-advised quick single, and finds a smidgeon of turn. Bar that over in which he was battered for two sixes, he’s bowled neatly.
More from Brian Withington re JM Barrie:
May I politely suggest that the canny JM Barrie may not have been ‘properly mugged off’ by the Stanway geezers.
I have it on good authority that he paid for the promised new pavilion from the proceeds of some profitable dealing in the gaming markets that foolishly considered a JMB hat-trick highly improbable. Their initial reluctance to pay up was overcome by the mere threat of a visit from a naval character with a particularly vicious looking artificial hand …
Lunchtime viewing: A couple of those Dales League pictures sent in earlier by James Austin. You wouldn’t bat last on this …
But you’d have a nice view fielding in the deep
That majestic pavilion …
“Hello, chaps,” pipes up our colleague John Brewin from among the throng at Edgbaston. “Thought I’d tell you of the riddle of the Scrivens Upper. Each year, for many years running now, a group of us come to the same area for the Test – a fine, lofty view, where the press used to be – and each year we recall that Seat N12 doesn’t exist. Every day of the Edgbaston Test, an unfortunate punter will arrive, search in vain for their seat and eventually be redirected elsewhere when they realise they paid for a long-lost, non-existent seat.
“Until now. Happy to confirm seat n12 is resurrected after years of mystery, though our perverse excitement at seeing who the unlucky customer would be this year is at an end. They’ve renovated the Scrivens after all this time. The game’s gone. But well done Warwickshire CC. Enjoy the Test, back on deck this weekend after two days of Indian batting, sunburn and better beer prices than the O2/Cheltenham/Glasto/central London.”
And on that heartwarming note, I’m off for some sustenance of my own. Back in a bit.
Lunch: India 419-6
109th over: India 419-6 (Gill 168, Sundar 1). An exaggerated celebra-roar goes up from the crowd as Tongue finds Sundar’s edge but it bounces en route to second slip – he played it smartly with soft hands to be fair. Then the bowler pings a shorter one into the crouching Sundar’s upper forearm, and later beats him all ends up with a bona fide bouncer. Banging it in is working well for Tongue thus far, and he’s bowled better in the past couple of overs than he did at any point yesterday. And it enables England to go to lunch a little more chipper than they have been for most of the morning. India will be the happier side though.
108th over: India 417-6 (Gill 167, Sundar 1). Bashir, monstered in his previous over, keeps things calmer here, being merely milked for three singles.
“You’re welcome,” brags over 106’s Mike Morris.
108th over: India 414-6 (Gill 165, Sundar 0). Tongue strikes! Now can the feaster on rabbit pie enjoy another banquet as Sundar comes out at No 8? He plays out the over without scoring
“You might think it unusual for a village team playing in the West of England Premier league Wiltshire Division to have a £2million pavilion. But it does help that Hinton Charterhouse CC’s is built in the grounds of a stately home owned by the son of James Dyson,” writes showbizguru attaching another fine picture that I can’t upload at the minute. “The opening two years ago was delayed after the original complicated roof collapsed during construction entirely unconnected to the fact that some of the lads working on it turn out for a rival cricket team !The finished project is superb right down to the Dyson hand driers.
Their teas are very good too.”
I’ve played near there, at Hinton Admiral on a cricket tour 20 years or so ago. Lovely little ground, but much more old-school than the vogue-ish Dyson inspired Charterhouse one.