Indian captain Shubman Gill opened up about his record-breaking 269 against England at Edgbaston, revealing he rediscovered his childhood joy for batting after a period of losing enjoyment in the game.
A Captain’s Masterclass
In just his second Test as India’s captain, the 25-year-old Shubman Gill shattered multiple records with his career-best score. His stunning 269 made him the second-youngest Indian skipper to hit a Test double century, following in the footsteps of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
Gill also etched his name in history as the first Asian captain to smash a double hundred in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries. This remarkable innings also saw him surpass Virat Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian Test captain in away matches.
Rediscovering the Love for Batting
Before this tour, Gill admitted he had lost the sheer enjoyment of batting, especially during a period of modest red-ball scores. He felt he was consistently getting 30-40 runs but lacked the “peak concentration” needed for bigger innings.
To overcome this, Gill focused on technical adjustments, particularly his initial movement and setup. He consciously tried to “go back to basics” and bat with the same freedom he did as a child, prioritizing enjoyment over the pressure of scoring runs.
“Sometimes, when you aren’t scoring runs fluently, you stop enjoying your batting. You focus too much on the need to score runs. I felt I had lost that in my batting,” Gill explained. This mental shift clearly paid off, as he also registered a century in his debut innings as captain last week.
Tackling the Edgbaston Pitch
Despite his massive score, Gill found scoring freely challenging on the Edgbaston pitch. He noted that the ball felt “a bit soft” and runs weren’t flowing as easily as in the previous match.
His mindset was to stay at the crease for as long as possible once set, no matter how difficult. Learning from the last match, where a lower-order collapse could happen quickly, Gill aimed to force the bowlers to dismiss him with a good delivery rather than making mistakes himself.
India’s Bowling Strategy
After posting a massive total of 587 – India’s highest in England in 18 years – the team reduced England to 77 for three by stumps. Gill outlined India’s bowling strategy to maintain pressure on the opposition.
He emphasized the importance of consistent bowling in specific areas to frustrate the batsmen and limit their scoring options. The aim is to make England score in only one area, preventing them from finding boundaries all around the ground.
Gill acknowledged the pitch doesn’t offer much for bowlers, but enough to create chances if batsmen try too hard. The plan is to continue frustrating them, forcing them into errors and denying them scoring opportunities.
- Shubman Gill’s 269 is his career-best Test score.
- He became the second-youngest Indian captain to hit a Test double century.
- Gill is the first Asian captain to score a Test double hundred in SENA countries.
- He admitted to losing the enjoyment of batting before the England tour.
- Gill focused on returning to “childhood” basics to regain form and joy.
With a commanding total on the board and early wickets, India looks set to dominate the Test match at Edgbaston.
