Gill's twin ton sees India extend lead to 484 at Tea

Shubman Gill became only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to get a double hundred and a hundred in the same Test as India's lead swelled to 484 at Tea on Day 4 of the second Test at Edgbaston. A quick-fire 110-run partnership between Rishabh Pant and Gill was followed by a 68-run stand for the skipper with Ravindra Jadeja as India moved to 304 for 4 at the end of the second session. Although the fifth wicket stand was on the slower side, India managed 127 runs in the session in 30 overs, with the run-rate of 4.23 a touch slower than the opening session's rate of 4.52.

Pant got going straightaway in the second session, executing a late cut off Shoaib Bashir for a four. Gill then took on Josh Tongue, hitting a six over fine-leg followed by two fours as he went past Virat Kohli's tally (449) of most runs in his debut series as India Test captain. Gill struck another six over fine leg off Tongue, followed by a flat-batted shot past midwicket for a four to bring up a 57-ball fifty. Pant then got to a 48-ball fifty with a single off Tongue before extending the lead past 400 with a six over long-on. The partnership crossed 100 when Pant swept Bashir for a four but fourth wicket stand ended a short while later when the left-hander lost his bat, for the second time in the innings, and was caught at long-off in Bashir's over.

Gill then struck a four and a six in Bashir's over to enter the 80s as he surpassed Gavaskar's record (344 vs West Indies in 1971) for the highest aggregate for an Indian in a Test. Ravindra Jadeja had a watchful start at the other end even as India extended the lead past 450 in the second hour of the second session. Gill got into the 90s with some quick singles and twos before sweeping Joe Root for a boundary. He also ran a risky two before Jadeja finally hit a four, forcing a Bashir delivery through the off side. The 300 came up for India and a short while later, Gill reached three figures for the second time in the Test, becoming the third Indian captain to register two hundreds in the same Test, after Gavaskar and Kohli.

Earlier, on an overcast morning, Brydon Carse emerged as England's most threatening bowler, troubling India's batters with sharp bounce and movement. He had KL Rahul edging early on, only for the ball to fly past slip, and struck Karun Nair on the helmet with one that zipped in. Carse eventually broke the second-wicket stand on 45, drawing Nair into a drive and having him caught behind. India's batters, however, managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, reaching 100 inside the first hour. England, meanwhile, burned a review for an LBW appeal against Gill, with replays confirming a clear inside edge. Rahul brought up his fifty before a beauty from Josh Tongue cleaned him up.

Pant then took over with an aggressive knock. He got off the mark in style, helping a short ball from Tongue past fine leg for four, before launching an authoritative six over long-off. Pant also had a lucky break as he was put down at mid-off by Zak Crawley off Stokes and he capitalised as he struck a four and an audacious sweep for a six off Tongue. The southpaw then pulled Bashir for two fours in his first over, lost his bat trying to hack a Tongue delivery, was nearly caught off a leading edge and was nearly bowled by the offspinner. But he rode his luck and continued his attacking approach, a boundary off Bashir extending the lead past 350 before the Lunch break, with India scoring 113 runs off 25 overs in the session.

Brief scores: India 587 & 304/4 (Shubman Gill 100*, Rishabh Pant 68, KL Rahul 55; Josh Tongue 2-93) lead England 407 by 484 runs.