Shubman Gill Scripts History, Becomes First Player In 148 Years To...

Shubman Gill continued to spread his magic in the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. After scoring a mammoth 269 in his first innings in the game, Gill hit 161 to put India in the driving seat as the visitors set a massive 608-run target for the Three Lions. The performance helped Gill break and script multiple records; one of them happened for the first time in the 148-year history of Test cricket. Gill became the first-ever batter to smash a double ton and 150 in a Test match.

Gill shone with the bat on Satuday before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep again struck with the new ball as the tourists pressed for a series-levelling win at Edgbaston.

Gill declared India's second innings on 427-6 after tea on the fourth day.

That left England needing a mammoth 608 runs to go 2-0 up in this five-match series.

No side in 148 years of Test cricket have made more to win in the fourth innings than the West Indies' 418 against Australia at St John's in 2003.

England's corresponding record is the 378 they made against India at Edgbaston three years ago.

But at Saturday's close in Birmingham they were 72-3, needing a further 536 runs on the final day to achieve a win that would be remarkable even by this team's 'Bazball' standards.

Harry Brook, who helped keep England afloat in their first innings with 158 in a total of 407, was still there on 15 not out.

Siraj, who led India's attack with 6-70 in the first innings, struck an early blow Saturday when he removed Zak Crawley for a duck as a loose drive went straight to backward point.

Deep, given the unenviable task of replacing the rested Jasprit Bumrah, the world's number one ranked fast bowler, then carried on from his four-wicket haul first-time around by bowling Ben Duckett (25) with a nip-back ball.

He then clean bowled Joe Root for just six as the world's number one-ranked Test batsman was undone by a superb full-length delivery that moved away late.

Earlier, by taking his tally in this match to 430 runs, the 25-year-old Gill became only the fifth batsman to score 400 or more runs in a single Test.

Gill, thrust into the captaincy following Rohit Sharma's shock retirement from Test duty in May, has scored three hundreds in his first four innings as skipper following his 147 during India's five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Headingley.

(With AFP Inputs)

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