Birmingham, July 3 (IANS) Skipper Shubman Gill continued to be serene in his knock to be unbeaten on 168, his highest Test score, while Ravindra Jadeja supported him well with a fine 89 as India reached 419/6 in 110 overs at lunch on Day Two of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Resuming from the overnight score of 310/5, Gill was at his calm and composed best to march forward and reach 150 for the first time in Tests. The Indian skipper ensured his side went past 400 while sharing a mammoth 203-run partnership with Jadeja for the sixth wicket. Though Jadeja fell at the stroke of lunch, Gill and Washington Sundar (one not out) will be aiming to reach at least 500, especially with rain forecasted on days four and five.

The session began with Gill getting a single through the leg-side, which brought up the hundred of his sixth wicket partnership with Jadeja. The duo struck fours each off Woakes before Jadeja brought up his 23rd Test fifty with a clip off the pacer and brought out the sword-yielding-like celebrations.

Jadeja would take two fours off Stokes, before Gill leaned into a wonderful drive off Woakes for four. With Brydon Carse struggling due to soreness, Gill hit him for back-to-back boundaries – a short-arm jab was followed by a sweet drive. Though Carse resorted to a short-ball ploy, and Shoaib Bashir was not much threatening, Gill brought up his first 150 score in Tests off 263 balls.

Jadeja then punched Josh Tongue for four, before dancing down the pitch to loft Bashir over his head for a straight six, and brought up India’s 400. Gill then slog-swept the spinner for six more to bring up the 200th run of his partnership with Jadeja.

England finally made the breakthrough in the 108th over when Tongue bowled a short ball from around the wicket, and Jadeja jumped in the air to try and fend it away, but the glove edge was grabbed by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Gill and Sundar, who survived a fiery spell from Tongue at the fag end, ensured India didn’t lose any other wicket going into lunch break.

Brief scores:

India 419/6 in 110 overs (Shubman Gill 168 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 89; Chris Woakes 2-81, Ben Stokes 1-74) against England

–IANS

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