India ended the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston on a strong note, scoring 310 for 5, thanks to a composed century by Shubman Gill. Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and, just like in the previous Test, chose to bowl first under clear skies.

Woakes Strikes Early, India Lose KL Rahul

Chris Woakes gave England a perfect start by removing KL Rahul in the ninth over. Rahul struggled, scoring just 2 runs off 26 balls before falling to Woakes, who bowled a tight seven-over spell, giving away only 15 runs with four maiden overs. This performance showed why he is a hometown favorite at Edgbaston.

Despite his efforts, Woakes was unlucky not to get more wickets. Two LBW appeals — one against Yashasvi Jaiswal on 12 and another against Karun Nair on 5 — were both turned down by the on-field umpire. Although England reviewed both decisions, the ball-tracking showed "Umpire's Call" in each case.

He eventually got his second wicket by clean bowling Reddy, who left the ball only to see it nip back in and hit the top of off-stump.

Jaiswal Plays Another Solid Knock, But Falls to Stokes

After Rahul's dismissal, Karun Nair came in at No. 3 and shared a useful partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Nair looked solid but fell for 25 just before lunch, caught at second slip off Brydon Carse.

Jaiswal, meanwhile, continued his fine form against England. He reached his fifty off just 59 balls and played aggressive strokes against Josh Tongue, hitting six boundaries in just two overs. A brilliant hook shot took him to 49, followed by a powerful cut that brought up his half-century. He went on to score 81 runs, hitting 13 boundaries in total.

However, his patience ran out when he tried to attack Stokes and edged one behind to Jamie Smith. It was a turning point, as India were looking to build a big partnership.

Pant Throws it Away, But Gill Stays Focused

Rishabh Pant then came in and looked to rebuild the innings with Gill. But his stay was short. He played a reckless shot off Shoaib Bashir, lofting the ball straight to Zak Crawley at long-on. The delivery was a slow, dipping ball at just 74kph, which tricked Pant into playing a loose shot. He was out for 25, a disappointing end after scoring twin centuries in the previous match.

Gill, however, remained calm. He didn’t fall into any traps set by England. Stokes placed three fielders at cover and one at short mid-on to tempt him, but Gill stayed patient. He came to bat when India were 95 for 2 and anchored the innings from there.

He had to deal with back pain late in the day and called the physiotherapist at 5:55 pm when he was on 86 and India were 270 for 5. But he carried on and reached his century in style, hitting two boundaries off Joe Root’s part-time spin. His century came off 199 deliveries, showing his resilience and focus.

The boundaries were evenly spread across the ground — three through cover and several between backward square and midwicket. His slow and careful approach helped India stay in the game after losing key wickets.

Brief Scorecard