Shubman Gill gave an incredible performance with the bat in the second Test of the five-match series against England at Edgbaston. The India captain recorded scores of 269 and 161 in the first and second inning respectively as the Men in Blue posted a mammoth target of 608 for the hosts to chase. Thanks to a stunning bowling display, the visitors managed to bundle out the Three Lions for 271 runs on Day 5 and secured a massive 336-run victory in Birmingham.
Gill was the Player of the Match for Edgbaston Test
Gill was adjudged as the Player of the Match and he also became the first Indian captain to win a Test over England at Edgbaston in history. Notably, India hadn't won any of the seven Tests that they had played against the Three Lions before in fact, their best result had been a draw which came way back in 1986.
Following India's memorable triumph, legendary England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was all praise for Gill. There were a lot of doubts regarding the 25-year-old's leadership abilities and batting skills in overseas conditions when he had gotten appointed as India's Test skipper, succeeding Rohit Sharma. However, Gill has shut down all his critics with his batting performances and Pietersen couldn't be more happier about it as he had backed the youngster to achieve several accolades with the team for quite a long time.
I am not surprised to see his numbers. I put my head on a block a few years ago, saying Please, back Shubman Gill. Jacques Kallis started very slowly and turned out to be an absolute superstar...He just oozes quality," Pietersen told the media.
Gill is currently the highest-scorer in the ongoing series against England with a total of 585 runs under his name in the first two matches. He has already scored three hundreds, maintaining an incredible average of 146.25. Notably, he had also scored a century in the first Test at Headingley as the visitors managed to post a humongous first-inning total of 471.
It remains to be seen if the India batter can maintain this fine form in the upcoming Lord's Test which is set to commence from July 10. The series is currently level at 1-1 and both teams will be looking to secure a lead before the fourth Test which will be contested at Old Trafford in Manchester.