Following India's historic win against England in second Test, captain Shubman Gill was in search of the English journalist at the presser who questioned visitors' record at Edgbaston on July 6. India's match-winner Gill added a touch of humor to the occasion with a sharp and witty remark. At the post-match press conference, after India's convincing 336-run win over England, Gill addressed a question that had been posed to him before the match concerning India's poor Test record at Edgbaston.
He discussed various aspects of the game and highlighted the team's performance that led to the victory. However, before starting with the usual proceedings, Gill humorously asked about the specific journalist who had questioned him about India’s winless streak at the venue. When he couldn't find the individual he was looking for, he playfully inquired about their whereabouts from the other journalists present, which resulted in widespread laughter.
“I can’t see my favorite journalist. Where is he?”, asked Gill in the post-match press conference.
Throughout the match, Gill displayed exceptional batting prowess, accumulating a total of 430 runs. This remarkable feat marks the second-highest number of runs scored by any player in a single Test match, falling just behind England’s Graham Gooch. Gill's outstanding performance began with an emphatic 269 in the first innings, contributing significantly to India's imposing total of 587. After England conceded a substantial lead of 180 runs, Gill returned to bat in the second innings with the same positive intent. He went on to score another impressive century, adding 161 runs to his tally. As a result, India set the hosts a challenging target of 608 runs. Akash Deep did the rest and bundled out England 271 to seal the deal for India.
When questioned about his mindset while batting for such extended periods, the 25-year-old emphasised his desire to lead by example and also highlighted the importance of not giving away his wicket cheaply.
“Sometimes you have to lead by example. If a good ball gets me out, that’s fine. But I won’t throw my wicket away. When you look at the scorecard, you don’t think about personal milestones”, Gill added.
Prior to this Test match, India had never secured a victory at Edgbaston, having lost seven and drawn one of their previous eight attempts.
The action will now shift to Lord's where the third Test between India and England will be played from July 10.