First signs of 'Gill Era' promise: India's superstars and heroics at Birmingham, in numbers

Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Following ome promiing ign at Leed depite a five-wicket lo, the maive ceiling and unreal potential of Indian cricket Gill era wa at full diplay at Birmingham a Team India napped their age-old winle treak at Edgbaton againt England with a 336-run win, after even painful loe and a draw.
Several record were hattered by Shubman Gill himelf, while the pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akah Deep made the new ball do it magic on a urface that looked abolutely lifele for bowler after the Duke ball got older and ofter. A Harry Brook-Jamie Smith triple-century partnerhip wa a counterattack that attempted to thwart India effort of making amend for poor bowling at Leed, but incredible character, reilience and kill-et wa on full diplay a after a Gill, Rihabh Pant-powered blitz in the econd inning, the pace attack managed to replicate the Virat Kohli era magic on a pitch that eemed to offer very little, in the abence of pace pearhead Japrit Bumrah.
Without the preence of pace pack leader Bumrah and the legendary duo of Ro-Ko (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli), a new-look India ha levelled the erie and delivered a befitting reply to critic doubting if the ide wa even worth touring to England, one of the toughet nation to tour. The Ben Stoke, Brendon McCullum-led Bazball chool of cricket faced a dilemma: Whether to bravely go for a 608-run chae or wallow their pride and ettle for a rare draw. England could not do either of thoe, truggling to balance their defenive and attacking ide of the game and fell flat on their face with a maive blot on their reume.
After the match, here i a deep dive into the performance of the win bigget architect and their record:
-Captain Gill give a bitterweet Deja vu.
With two record-breaking inning of 269 and 161, kipper Gill tore into the record book like no other Indian kipper, not even hi idol Virat. A major upgradation wa carried out in Indian cricket hitory a Gill rehaped the narrative urrounding him with each troke. Giving away hi olid tart, Poor tat in overea, Gill doe not have a much aura a Virat, it jut took a couple of knock to wipe thee jibe out, at leat for thi erie.
With 430 run acro both inning, Gill ha the econd-highet aggregate of run in a ingle Tet, behind England Graham Gooch, who had an output of 456 run after coring 333 and 123 againt India at Lord back in 1990. He alo became the econd batter to regiter 150-plu core in both inning of a Tet after Allan Border (150* & 153) againt Pakitan in Lahore in 1980. Gill outing i alo the firt intance of a 250-plu and 150-plu core in a Tet by a batter.
He ha become only econd Indian after Gavakar to hit a double ton and century in the ame Tet, coring 124 and 220 againt Wet Indie at Port of Spain in 1971. Other batter having achieved thi feat include Autralia KD Walter, Wet Indie RG Lowe, Autralia Greg Chappell, England Gooch, WI icon Lara, Sri Lanka Sangakkara and Autralia Marnu Labuchagne.
He ha alo outdone ex-kipper and legendary batter Virat Kohli (243 and 50) to have the highet aggregate by an Indian captain in a Tet match. Virat effort came againt Sri Lanka at hi home tadium, Arun Jaitley Stadium, back in December 2017.
Gill i the econd Aian batter with 350-plu aggregate in a Tet outide the ubcontinent after Pakitan Hanif Mohammad (354: 17 and 337) at Bridgetown in 1958.
The youngter i alo the third Aian batter to have a 300-plu run aggregate in a Tet taking place in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Autralia (SENA) countrie after Rahul Dravid (305) and Sachin Tendulkar (301) did that in Adelaide and Sydney, repectively in 2003-04.
He i alo the third Indian captain to have a 100-plu core in both inning of the Tet, beide Gavakar (againt Wet Indie in Kolkata, 1978), Virat (againt Sri Lanka in 2017). Gill i the econd player to record three hundred in hi firt two Tet a captain after Virat Kohli.
He i only the ixth Indian to core a 250-plu core in Tet, joining the elite company of Virender Sehwag, who did it four time, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Karun Nair and Virat Kohli. Gill i the firt Indian to do o outide of the Indian ubcontinent; the previou bet wa Sachin matercla of 241* againt Autralia at Sydney in 2004.
He joined Rahul Dravid (217 at The Oval in 2002) and Sunil Gavakar (221 at The Oval in 1979) to become the third player to core a double ton for India in England againt England in Tet.
Gill became the firt-ever Indian captain to reach the double ton againt England in England, outdoing Mohammad Azharuddin 179 at Old Trafford in 1990.
Alo, with a quick flurry of boundarie after the miletone, he leapfrogged pat legendary Sunil Gavakar 221 at The Oval in 1979 to have the highet-ever individual core by an Indian in England.
Gill joined the elite company of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rohit Sharma to become the fourth Indian with a century in Tet and ODI both.
The youngter alo urpaed Kohli 254* againt South Africa in 2019 to have the highet core ever by an Indian captain. Gill alo became the third Indian captain with a 150-plu Tet core before turning 26, after Manoor Ali Khan Pataudi (twice) and Sachin Tendulkar.
Thi i alo the econd intance of a double ton by an Indian kipper overea, nine year after Virat Kohli 200 againt Wet Indie back in 2016 at North Sound.
The 25-year-old trokeplayer alo became the firt Aian captain with a double century in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Autralia (SENA), the previou bet core being 193 by Sri Lanka Tillakaratne Dilhan at Lord in 2011.
He i the econd-younget Indian captain to core a Tet double ton at the age of 25 year and 298 day, below Manoor Ali Khan Pataudi againt England in Delhi back in 1964 at the age of 23 year and 39 day.
Alo, there have been 11 double centurie hit by captain in England, four from the hot and even other from viiting team. It i only South African legend Graeme Smith, who reached the miletone at a younger age than Gill, with knock of 277 and 259 in back-to-back Tet at Edgbaton and Lord in 2003, the firt of thee coming at an age of 22 year and 175 day.
It took Gill only three inning a a captain to reach hi double ton, the joint-quicket for India, alongide Sunil Gavakar (205 v WI, Wankhede, 1978).
After thi eemingly endle re-writing of batting record, Gill alo became the younget Indian captain to win a Tet overea; the previou younget wa Sunil Gavakar (26y 202d) v NZ in Auckland in 1976.
Thi 336-run win i alo India bigget win away from home, outdoing their 318-run win over Wet Indie at North Sound back in 2016, while they defended a total of 419.
MRF bat in hand, captaincy armband, a dahing trokeplayer with a upertar tatu, breaking record in England. A cript we have een it before, Virat Kohli. It i a much powerful equel with a change in main character, who alo happened to be an underdog jut like hi idol wa at one point.
-Rihabh Pant: India main man for SENA, climbing up the echelon of great
At thi point, it i afe to ay Pant i India greatet Tet wicketkeeper-batter, having urpaed MS Dhoni. After managing 25 run in the firt inning, Pant delivered an entertaining, counter-attacking and crucial 65 in 58 ball, with eight four and three ixe in the econd. Thi made him the firt-ever Aian wicketkeeper-batter to reach 2,000 Tet run in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Autralia (SENA) countrie, a hallmark of hi adaptability to tough condition. Not atiated with being counted amongt Indian great, Pant i challenging the global great a well.
In thi erie, Pant i the third-highet run-getter, with 342 run in four inning at an average of 85.00 and a trike rate of 81.81, with two centurie and a fifty. Hi bet core i 134.
-Yahavi Jaiwal: Opener tock continue to rie in overea condition
Before thi erie, much wa expected from Jaiwal after a ucceful Border-Gavakar Trophy and an incredible home eaon. With a century on hi debut in England at Leed and valuable knock of 87 and 28 at Birmingham, he i truly jutifying hi hype.
Jaiwal became the fatet Indian to reach 2,000 Tet run, joining legend like Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, who did o in 40 inning. In 21 Tet and 40 inning, he ha 2,018 run at an average of 53.10, with five centurie and 11 fiftie, with a bet core of 214*. In thi erie o far, he ha 220 run in two Tet at an average of 55.00, with a century and fifty each and bet core of 101.
-Mohammed Siraj bamboozle England with hi Miyan Magic
Siraj wa detructive in thi Tet, with a pell of 6/70 in the firt inning that gave Team India a 180-run lead they could build on. Thi brilliant pell, carried out largely with the new ball, helped him leapfrog Japrit Bumrah (four time) to have the mot intance of four or more wicket in an inning in England, with a total of five uch intance.
Bumrah ha 42 wicket in 10 Tet in England, and thi workhore of a bowler i lowly catching up with hi Game-changer Jai bhai, with 32 wicket in eight matche at an average of 33.81, with a ix-wicket haul and four four-wicket haul to hi name.
-Akah Deep hitoric ten-for in the face of adverity
Heading back into the ide after an injury lay-off and a poor Indian Premier League (IPL), Akah Deep adapted to Englih condition like fih to water, becoming only econd Indian to take a ten-wicket haul in a match in thi country after Chetan Sharma back in 1986. In fact, hi pell of 10/187 (4/88 in the firt inning and 6/99 in the econd) i the bet-ever pell by an Indian in England. Akah eam movement and new-ball magic ucked the life out of England top-order, leaving them a helple a a headle chicken without their mot productive batter, Ben Duckett and Joe Root.
Following the match, he revealed hi elder iter cancer diagnoi and how he played thi game jut to put a mile on her face.
The bigget thing i that I have not told anyone yet. My elder iter ha been uffering from cancer for the lat 2 month. She i table now. She i fine. She will be the happiet. She ha been going through thi mentally for the lat 2 month. She will be the happiet. I wa playing thi match for her. I have to make her happy for thi match, Akah Deep aid while talking to batter Chetehwar Pujara, now on broadcating dutie. (ANI)