Following India’s five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley, Shubman Gill has called on the top order to take more responsibility to perform better. India had decent starts in both innings, but after being able to reach 430 for 3, India fell apart with that last six wickets crashing down to 471 all out in the first innings – and 340 for 4 down to 371 in the second innings.
In reflecting upon his captaincy debut, Gill stressed he deserved blame as well. “Looking back, the kind of shot I played, Rishabh [Pant] maybe I could’ve batted longer with him and added 50 more runs,” said Gill after a rash aerial shot that cost him his wicket after 147.
The lower order could have also contributed better – only adding 41 and 31 more runs after getting off to decent foundations – but Gill talked primarily about the responsibility lying with the top-order. “When your last five or six don’t go on to contribute this much it’s easier for the opposition to come back, but the top order could just take a little bit more responsibility and bat the opposition out of the game.” Gill said.
With Jasprit Bumrah likely to be rested for the Edgbaston Test to manage his workload, India are considering bringing in a second spinner. Gill suggested that Washington Sundar could offer them both control and will add depth to the batting, given the expected dry surface.
“Once the ball is soft and old, there isn’t much going on, so maybe an extra spinner might help later on in the game,” Gill said, but kept quiet about whether they would elect to play Kuldeep Yadav, a more attacking spinner, instead, suggesting that decision could only be made once they had seen the pitch.
India’s selection at Edgbaston will look to address both the lack of lower-order resilience and the need for bowling variety, as they attempt to level the series in what should be a significant second Test.
Read More: India tour of England 2025 Schedule
