A scuffed-up ball and a fired-up fast bowler combined for one of the great passages of reverse

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Jul-2024It started with a six.Mikyle Louis, just as he had threatened throughout his debut Test series, was batting like a dream. West Indies were three down and only 12 ahead, but Louis was moving the dial in controlled fashion. And when he slog-swept Shoaib Bashir into the RES Wyatt Stand at long-on to bring up his first half-century, he had reason to believe the blow would resonate throughout the innings. In a way, he would have been right.About four hours later, the Botham-Richards Trophy was being polished before being handed to England for the last formalities of the post-series presentations. By then, West Indies were back in their dressing room, still trying to come to terms with being blown out of the water by Mark Wood’s 5 for 40, with assistance from Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, in what will be remembered as one of the most remarkable spells of reverse-swing bowling of the modern era.The ball, now in Wood’s possession, with which he strung together five wickets across 21 deliveries and then held up to the adoring Birmingham crowd, carries a notable blemish on its rough side. One which it picked up off the back of Louis’ strike. From that point on, as Stokes put it, “It started doing loads.”Related

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“You need to blame Louis for this,” the England captain said to Kavem Hodge out in the middle as the No. 5 sat in the worst seat in the house, unable to avert his eyes for five of the seven wickets to fall in this hellacious spell of reverse.You can convince yourself Stokes was speaking with a bit of empathy until you realise he was the one that instigated all this.Upon realising the ball would start to tail, Stokes decided to have first dibs. An eight-over spell from the Pavilion End – which accounted for Louis, finding the edge with a lack of movement after lavish lead-up deliveries – was a throwback to previous such spells. Before he was captain, Stokes was used as the ideal conduit for reverse swing, with his slight left-lean in his gather and cantered right arm pushing the ball in, encouraging movement through the air before the rough-and-smooth work against one another.That he took just one wicket – Zak Crawley busted his little finger on his right hand dropping a deserved second – means Edgbaston 2024 won’t join the likes of Chattogram 2016 and Cape Town 2020 for memorable dalliances with the untameable craft. But this was another nod to a previously troublesome left knee that has a new lease of life.Reverse swing is a collaborative process. From Atkinson taking up the City End – and snaring Jason Holder, who Crawley had shelled – to the rest of the team ensuring the ball remained in condition. Joe Root has often been the one to buff, but this time it was Harry Brook charged with keeping the shiny side pristine, using the top of his right pocket to polish.The rough side is harder to manage, but every fielder did their bit. Touches on the ball were few and far between, holding the ball across the seam, with the sweatier members avoiding it altogether. Undoubtedly the most important part was recognising the scuffed side was the right kind of scuffed; ideally a fuzz rather than tatters. In a series that has had more ball changes than actual days of cricket (10), they did well to recognise that this defacement of the Dukes was to their benefit.Mark Wood roars after dismissing Kavem Hodge•Getty ImagesAnd yet, while reverse swing is never solely about one man, it certainly felt that way after lunch. “I think that’s one of the best reverse swing performances I’ve seen in a long time,” Stokes beamed of Wood’s six-over spell from lunch, which in isolation carried figures of 5 for 9. What a way to make a killing.Type in “reverse swing dismissals” into Chat GPT and not even AI would be able to conjure the kind of imagery Wood was serving up. Inswinging yorkers (Joshua Da Silva), uprooted stumps (Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales) and the thinking man’s reverse-swing dismissal – the nick (Hodge).Even before Wood made his Test debut in 2015, he was embued with reverse swing lessons from ECB coaches. During his time with the Lions he would hone those skills at Loughborough with balls that were deliberately scratched and loaded, a characteristic achieved by soaking one side in water.It was from these groundings that Wood figured out what works best for him. Slightly lowering his arm, bowling a little fuller than normal but not consistently yorker length, to get that extra zip to attack the pads. All with his use of the crease, which here included going wide to the right-handers to open their stances up a little more, thus further offsetting their front foot.As quickly as the wickets came, England were not all that greedy, which James Anderson preached at lunch. Anderson told the quicks that given the scale of movement out there, pace was not the priority. By focusing on skills, they would be able to gain just as many rewards. During his playing days (which only ended a couple of weeks ago) Anderson’s use of reverse swing centred around patience, with such skill that batters would not realise the ball was “misbehaving” until they were watching their dismissals back in the dressing room.Jayden Seales loses his off stump•ECB via Getty ImagesHe advised them to use the short ball, which Wood did to great effect as the lead-in to the dismissals of Joseph and Seales. And the focus on the right areas ensured West Indies’ scoring – and thus strike rotation – was kept to a minimum. It meant Hodge was caught cold; his looseness on 55 outside off stump was through facing just 18 deliveries in 10.1 overs of the middle session.For all the calculation and cold-hearted cunning, there was raw emotion on show as Wood finally got his flowers – and a player-of-the-match award – for what have been two exceptional Tests. He had just four wickets from three innings to show for it before Sunday, sending down the fastest overs by an Englishman and beating so many edges you wondered if he had taken up breaking mirrors in his spare time.There is also the fact that Wood has, peculiarly, found himself in the crosshairs of some of the West Indies players. A number of them have chirped him when he’s batting – nothing malicious or, well, out of turn considering he has bagged two ducks out of three. But as Kevin Sinclair found out at Trent Bridge, and Seales here after lauding his dismissal of Wood as the nightwatcher in the first innings, there are better targets to rile than someone who cracks bones and dislocates stumps. He was basically laughing at Seales when he sent his off stump so far back that Brook paced out the distance as he returned it.All in all, this has been a tame series. James Anderson’s farewell gave Lord’s a testimonial feel. Trent Bridge was more of a contest until the final half-session, when it was anything but. And what jeopardy there was at the start of day two in this dead rubber had dissipated by third morning.By Sunday afternoon though, the game was at its most febrile. Its most carnal. Its most watchable. For that, we have reverse swing, England and Mark Wood to thank. And, of course, Mikyle Louis.

Everyone’s a winner, baby, that’s no lie (or is it?). Here are the annual awards that matter

Alan Gardner and Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Dec-2024The cricket calendar is bloated, festooned with arcane traditions, and completely in thrall to money – which means it really comes into its own at Christmas. In the spirit of giving things that are not really wanted but everyone buys into out of a sense of social obligation, here is the Light Roller’s annual awards stocking filler. There is no gift receipt.Conspiracy Theory of the Year: SKY catch
With South Africa’s World Cup dream steadily going the way South African World Cup dreams usually do, David Miller plonked a full toss down the ground, Suryakumar Yadav sprinted around from long-on to complete a running relay catch, and 1.4 billion Indians rejoiced. Meanwhile, over on Reddit, a slightly smaller but no less dedicated community got stuck into poring over footage of the event. Had the third umpire properly checked whether SKY’s foot brushed the boundary marker? Could that slight discolouration of the grass prove said boundary marker had actually been moved earlier in the innings? Was that a puff of smoke on the grassy knoll or could the shooter have been holed up in the book depository? Rarely has the tinfoil-hat brigade had it so good.Runner-up: India’s friendly scheduling at the T20 World Cup. (Wake up, sheeple, it’s all connected!!!)Executive Decision-Making Award: ICC
Everyone knows where the Champions Trophy is being held, right? The dates, the venues, which teams are in which group, etc and so on? We’re all absolutely double-sure – and have been for at least the last three years – that it will be staged by Pakistan, as the first major tournament hosted in the country since its role in the 1996 World Cup. Right? Right?? Well, sort of right. Because India won’t be going there. So those games will be held in the UAE. We think. Can we get back to you? What do you mean it’s supposed to start next week…? []Commitment to Change Award: Pakistan’s groundsmen
Pakistan is the spiritual home of subcontinental fast bowling – although that fine tradition was beginning to look a bit rickety when they were beaten 2-0 in their own conditions by Bangladesh. A pummelling at the hands of Harry Brook and Joe Root on a flat one in Multan followed, after which the Pakistan management had a brainwave. First question: did anyone see England play spin in India earlier this year? Second question: do we still have any spinners? Meanwhile, the ground staff in Multan and Rawalpindi attacked their new brief with the gusto of a middle-class family who had just bought their first pressure cooker. Out came the industrial fans and heaters, and in all likelihood a tandoor was constructed over the strip. By game day, the pitch had been crisped to perfection. With a twirl of that luscious moustache, Sajid Khan provided the choicest accompaniments, doing the rest with Noman Ali.Architectural Feature of the Year: High Ceilings
Previously best known for being the place where Neil McKenzie used to sellotape his bat for good luck, the humble ceiling took centre stage – so to speak – thanks to England’s whimsical approach to selection, which went something like: “Gosh, those stats are rubbish. Are we even sure he plays cricket?” “No, but check out his height/pace/release point/hairstyle. I bet this guy has a really .” Which basically means: might be good, might not. And is in no way a guide to whether you could fit a full-size Josh Hull in their front room.Good thing he’s got a high ceiling, else he’d be knocking his head on it: 6′ 7″ Josh Hull gets his Test cap from Andrew Flintoff•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesAbsolutely Did Not Choke Award: South Africa
Look, the South Africa men’s and women’s teams won World Cup semi-finals this year. Which, given the weight of history, is really quite a thing. Almost as good as lifting the trophy but without needing to put pressure on your luggage allowance. The women didn’t really get close anyway – which is sort of a consolation. And as for the men, well, 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand really isn’t as simple as it sounds when you factor in Jasprit Bumrah still having two full overs lef- BWAHAHAHAHAHAAH, who are we kidding?ICC Feel-Good Award: Shamar Joseph
As in, makes the ICC feel good about itself. For what’s better than a shooting star of a fast bowler from the backwoods of Guyana’s logging country chopping down Australia’s finest at one of their famed fortresses to distract everyone from the fundamental inequities of the global game? West Indies cricket needs better funding, infrastructure, opportunity… but hey, look over there, Joseph and his team-mates are doing laps of the Gabba! Let’s all pat ourselves on the back and never mention the revenue-sharing model ever again!Runner-up: USA’s T20 World Cup campaign.Administrator’s Administrator of the Year: Jay Shah
A unanimous vote (apart from one abstention). It’s been another blockbuster year for the little big man, who always comes up clutch in the pressure moments – for instance, after guiding India’s men to their first World Cup win in over a decade (), he was on hand with a fun-size flagpole for Rohit Sharma to stick triumphantly into the Kensington Oval outfield. Instantly iconic. We’re not quite sure why he decided to trade in the job as cricket’s No. 1 most powerful person (head of the BCCI) to be the guy pushed around by the head of the BCCI (ICC chairman). But you can be certain he’ll still be the poster boy for go-getting young administrators the world over.Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Cricket and Comedy: Pakistan
We’re living in a golden age here, people. From somehow managing to pit their two star players against each other over the captaincy, losing to USA on the way to bombing out of the T20 World Cup, seeing not one but two head coaches tender their resignations within months of being appointed, cutting daily allowances for female players, to all the fruitless posturing over the Champions Trophy (see above), the self-pwnage was on another level. If Pakistan cricket were a movie, it would be directed by Christopher Nolan, scored by John Williams, and star Tom Hanks. A female supergroup featuring Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Madonna. A gourmet dining experience overseen by Heston Blumenthal, René Redzepi and Carmen Berzatto. They are Sideshow Bob endlessly stepping on a rake, and for that we salute them.Kamindu Mendis: ace batter, versatile bowler, gun fielder, and suspense giver• PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesWTC Denier of the Year: Ben Stokes
Stokesy, love your work – we really mean that. But the science is in on this critical issue. At least 99% of all serious cricket experts have formed the overwhelming consensus that the World Test Championship is real. In fact – and perhaps you may need to sit down for this – the WTC may have been happening from as far back as 2019. Worse: it’s possible that the WTC is not even a conspiracy against England, the nation that has hosted two finals already. To misquote another beloved Ben (Kenobi): the WTC could bring balance to the global game. Search your feelings, Stokesy. You know this to be true.Setting us up for Disappointment Award: Kamindu Mendis
No Sri Lanka batter has ever had as monstrous a run in their first ten Tests as Kamindu Mendis, who has reaped 1110 runs in his first 17 innings, at an average of 74. Not only have two-thirds of those runs come away from home, the man is also a monster in the field – as safe in the slips as he is dynamic in the outfield. As an aside, he also bowls spin with either arm.This is all sounding way too good to be true for a young Sri Lanka batter, who as a breed have in recent years taken to scuttling their own careers in all manner of creative ways. It seems prudent to prepare ourselves for what may befall Kamindu in 2025. A haunting loss of form? Injury? A night out with Niroshan Dickwella? Life, surely, can’t stay this good.*Nepo-Sensation of the Year: Rocky Flintoff
In the back half of 2024, Flintoff Jr has made a spectacular charge with the bat, impressing for Lancashire’s Second XI, before being vaulted into the England Lions squad for South Africa, and more recently being named in the Lions squad for Australia. And who might be coaching that Lions team, you ask? Why, old man Andrew, of course. Bless.*The Light Roller is too rational to believe in anti-jinxes. But that doesn’t mean we’re not above trying them, just to be safe.More in our look back at 2024

Time and again at the business end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, this 21-year-old rode the pressure, read the bowler, and executed with flair to take Mumbai across the line

Himanshu Agrawal16-Dec-2024Twenty-one-year-old Suryansh Shedge seems to have as much clarity when he speaks as he does when he bats.For instance, let’s look at the quarter-final of the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Shedge, batting at No. 6 for Mumbai against Vidarbha, is under pressure. His team needs another 60 runs to win off just 24 balls, and he has started with just three runs off as many deliveries. Five of his six innings before this have yielded 1*, 0, 9, 12 and 1* (the other yielded 30* off eight, but more on that later).Here, with Mumbai’s tournament on the line, Shedge despatches offspinner Mandar Mahale for a four and three sixes in a 24-run over. Each time, he is deep in the crease and across the stumps. He finishes with 36* from 12 balls. He had been told coming into the competition that he would be batting at Nos. 5 or 6, and so he had trained for just this situation: teeing off to turn the game around quickly – in one over, specifically.Related

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“Coming into this tournament, I tweaked my practice sessions a bit. I was playing six-ball sets, [and] trying to score a certain amount of runs in those six balls,” Shedge told reporters. “That kind of helps you. And I was taking breaks after every six balls because when you go into bat, you will only get 10-15 balls to face. I was trying to simulate that in the practice sessions, and that helps. When you practise going from ball one, it kind of becomes a muscle memory, and when you are in the middle, you find it easier.”Shedge often arrives to bat in tricky situations, and has made it a habit to boss the game from there. He wrapped up the match against Vidarbha by sending the ball out on to the road in Alur. Six days earlier, in the first of his string of good performances at the business end the SMAT, he had crashed that 30* off eight balls, this knock aiding a tournament record chase of 230 against Andhra. In the semi-final, against Baroda, Shedge faced only one ball in the chase of 159, but even that landed in the stands.”I’ve always batted like this. Even in my Under-16 days, [when] I was playing [multi-]days games, I’ve scored 196 in 115 balls,” he said. “So if I see the ball, I hit it. And you might make errors when you play in that fashion, so you have to be level-headed to come back from the errors you make. It requires a lot of strength.”Suryansh Shedge got the job done for Mumbai in the SMAT final•Himanshu Agrawal/ESPNcricinfoLevel-headedness. As a finisher, that is one quality which separates the good from the best. Shedge has looked good already. Six of his nine innings at the SMAT were at No. 6. One came at No. 7, in the most important match of the tournament: the final, against Madhya Pradesh.The game could have gone either way when he walked out, with Mumbai 46 runs away, with 32 balls and five wickets in hand. Suryakumar Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Dube were out. But third ball he faced, Shedge stood tall facing up to a dipping full toss and swiped it for four to deep square-leg. Three balls later, Shedge shifted his weight on to the back foot and guided a length ball for four past the wicketkeeper. His partner Atharva Ankolekar cracked a six last ball of that over and, just like that, Mumbai were favourites to seal the title, which they did, Shedge remaining unbeaten – again – on 36 off 15.

****

It took Shedge “a lot of hours” with coaches Abhishek Nayar, Monty Desai and Manish Bangera to build up his awareness and power-hitting.”You gain a lot of perspective when you spend time with them. Rather than practicing, you talk to them a lot. At the end of the day, when you go out and you need a certain amount of runs in certain balls, it all comes down to your mental game,” Shedge said. “So how positive you are, it signifies a lot. And hard work over anything. I have put in a lot of hard yards; so have my parents and people who are my well-wishers. Practicing, I wouldn’t say it makes you perfect. But trying to practice perfectly makes you perfect.”As Mumbai edged closer to the title, Shedge brought out the cherries to top the cake, swatting a short-of-a-length ball outside off from Venkatesh Iyer over deep midwicket and then – in SKY mode – exposing all his stumps and sweeping a full ball around seventh stump into the top tier over fine leg. He said he took inputs from Suryakumar , and that certainly showed.

“Before the bowler is in the run-up, I don’t think of any shots. When he starts running, then my brain starts working. And then I just commit. There are no second thoughts in my head.”Suryansh Shedge

“I saw two fielders [inside the circle] behind [square], and he bowled a wide ball [outside off]. I knew he was going to back that ball. So all I needed to do was get into position, and time it,” Shedge said of that sweep for six. “If you react a bit early, he might see you and go further away from you. So as soon as he was going to release the ball, I came into the position and that happened.”Before the bowler is in the run-up, I don’t think of any shots. When he starts running, then my brain starts working. And then I just commit. There are no second thoughts in my head.”All this points to a lot of maturity, a quality that would have been especially useful when, last year, Shedge had to deal with a stress fracture in the L4 region of his spine. The injury was a double blow: it ruled him out of SMAT 2023-24, and because of it, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), his IPL franchise, released him.It got to him, but then his competitive streak kicked in. “First two months [after the injury], I was just going through the motions. I wasn’t in the zone, but I kind of got out… But me as a person, personally, I like competition. And I like pressure because it tests me. At the end of the day, when my head hits the pillow, I want to feel that satisfaction of doing something for the team in whatever department it may be.”Now he can tick impressing at the SMAT off his list, with 131 runs at a strike rate of 251.92 – the highest strike rate for anyone who faced 20 or more balls this season. And soon enough, he’ll have another go at the IPL, this time with Punjab Kings, where he will also have his Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer for company. For now, though, celebrating his team’s SMAT triumph will take centre stage.

It is likely KL Rahul will move up to open, leaving a batting spot in the middle order up for grabs

Nagraj Gollapudi08-May-20252:03

Who replaces Rohit as Test captain?

Other than captaincy, the other immediate impact of Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement is it has created an opening in India’s batting order. It is likely that KL Rahul will take Rohit’s opening slot, and if that happens, it opens up a middle-order slot. ESPNcricinfo looks at the most significant contenders, names that are understood to be pencilled in by the national selectors, who will soon finalise the squad for the five-Test series against England starting June 20.

Dhruv Jurel, 24 years

It was Jurel whom Rohit had replaced in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, having missed the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child. The solitary batter to impress, both in defence and attack, during the second unofficial Test for India A against Australia A in Melbourne, where he made 80 and 68, Jurel played as a specialist batter at No. 6 in Perth. It would end up being the only Test Jurel played on the tour, making 11 and 1.Related

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While he is set to be picked again as back-up to Rishabh Pant, the Indian selectors have remained confident about Jurel, who has played four Tests, growing into a pure batter ever since he won the Player-of-the-Match award in his second Test, against England on a challenging Ranchi pitch last February.

Karun Nair, 33

How can Nair, who played last of his six Tests in 2017, even be part of this list? While it’s a valid question, you wouldn’t have asked that in case you were following the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, where Nair was among the chief architects in Vidarbha winning their third title. Nair, who was dropped by his home state Karnataka two years ago, moved to Vidarbha ahead of the domestic season in 2023-24 as a professional, and ended last season as the fourth-highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 863 runs in 16 innings at an average of nearly 50, including four centuries.A right-hand middle-order batter, Nair, who scored a triple ton against England in the Chennai Test in 2016-17, has a compact technique, and has vast first-class experience. Nair also featured for Northamptonshire in the Division 1 County Championships over the last two seasons: overall, in 14 innings, he scored 736 runs at an average of 56.61, with two centuries – including an undefeated 202.

B Sai Sudharsan, 23

Regarded as among the most talented batters in the domestic circuit, Sai Sudarsan has been on the fringes of India’s Test set-up for the last two years. Recognised for his temperament and sound technique, the Tamil Nadu left-hand batter bats predominantly in the middle order, although he has played in the top order too. Currently among the leading run-getters in the ongoing IPL 2025, where he’s playing for Gujarat Titans, Sai Sudarsan has also got decent county experience, with two stints with Surrey: first in 2023, and then last year, during which he scored 281 runs in eight innings at an average of 35.13, including 105 in his last match.

Sarfaraz Khan, 27

Last October, Sarfaraz was “fighting” for one middle-sorder slot with Rahul during the home series against England. With an entertaining 150 in the second innings in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, which featured some unorthodox but bold strokeplay, Sarfaraz retained his spot for the remaining two Tests in that series, while the more experienced Rahul sat out.However, Sarfaraz, who had made his debut against England earlier in 2024 after several successful seasons in domestic cricket, was part of the collective batting failure in the final two Tests of the New Zealand series, failing to go past 11 in four innings. Though he was part of India’s squad for the Australia tour that followed, Sarfaraz, who has played six Tests, failed to get an opportunity and returned home with a single run, which he scored in the tour match against PM’s XI. Since then, though, Sarfaraz has not played any competitive cricket due to a rib injury.

Stats highlights from the Champions Trophy match between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Rawalpindi

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Feb-2025 • Updated on 25-Feb-2025178 Number of dot balls in Bangladesh’s innings against New Zealand – the most by any team in this Champions Trophy, and the second most for Bangladesh in a 50-over men’s ODI innings since 2012. They had played 185 dot balls against South Africa in a Johannesburg ODI in 2022.12 Number of aggressive shots attempted by Bangladesh batters in 22 overs bowled by the New Zealand spinners. The spinners conceded only 80 runs at an economy of 3.63, while New Zealand’s quicks went for 153 runs in 27 overs at an economy rate of 5.46Bangladesh tried to attack only four balls from Mitchell Santner in ten overs, and seven balls from Michael Bracewell, who took 4 for 26 in ten overs.4 for 26 Bracewell’s bowling figures against Bangladesh are the best for a New Zealand spinner at the Champions Trophy, bettering Paul Wiseman’s 4 for 45 against Zimbabwe in 2000.All four wickets Bracewell took were of the top-six Bangladesh batters. The only other New Zealand spinner to dismiss at least four of the opposition’s top six in a men’s ODI in the last 20 years is Ish Sodhi – also against Bangladesh in 2023.22 Runs conceded by New Zealand through wides against Bangladesh, their second most in a men’s ODI. They conceded 29 runs in wides against Australia in the 2011 World Cup game in Nagpur.2017 Previous instance of Kane Williamson getting out for single-digit scores in consecutive ODI innings, before his 1 and 5 in this Champions Trophy. Williamson scored 6 and 3 in successive matches against India in 2017.40 Difference in the runs scored by New Zealand and Bangladesh during the middle overs (11-40) on Monday. New Zealand scored 154 runs for the loss of two wickets in this phase, while Bangladesh scored only 114 and lost five wickets. Bangladesh played out 107 dot balls in this phase, while New Zealand only had 79.6.09 Economy rate of Bangladesh’s spinners – they conceded 123 runs in 20.1 overs they bowled on a pitch where New Zealand’s spinners went at 3.63 and took four wickets.On the other hand, Bangladesh’s pacers made early inroads, taking three wickets and ending up with an economy rate of 4.34 in the 26 overs they bowled, which was much better than the New Zealand pacers, who went at 5.46 runs per over.1 Rachin Ravindra became the first batter to score a hundred in his debut match at both the ICC’s global ODI events (the World Cup and the Champions Trophy). He scored an unbeaten 123 against England on his World Cup debut in 2023, and now 112 against Bangladesh on his Champions Trophy debut.Ravindra’s four ODI hundreds have all come at the ICC’s global events so far, the most at such events by any man for New Zealand, surpassing three by Kane Williamson and Nathan Astle.

Shubman made the highest score by an India captain in Tests, as well as the highest by an India batter outside Asia

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill now has the highest Test score by an India batter in England•Getty Images

269 – Shubman Gill’s score in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, the highest by an India captain in Tests, surpassing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.Gill’s 269 is also the highest by an India batter in Tests outside Asia. Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not out at the SCG in 2004 was the previous highest.It is also the third-highest score by an India batter in away Tests, behind Virender Sehwag’s 309 in Multan and Rahul Dravid’s 270 in Rawalpindi on the tour of Pakistan in 2004.Only two Indians had scored double-hundreds in men’s Tests in England before him – 221 by Sunil Gavaskar in 1979 and 217 by Rahul Dravid in 2002, both at The Oval.Overall, Gill’s 269 is the seventh-highest score for India in Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd93.28 – Gill’s control percentage during his 269 at Edgbaston. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs, only two batters have had a higher control percentage while scoring a hundred in men’s Tests in England since 2006 – 96.45 % by Ian Bell during his 119* against Sri Lanka in 2011, and 94.6 % by Jamie Smith during his 111 against Sri Lanka last year.Related

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2 – Visiting batters with double-hundreds at Edgbaston in Tests before Gill. Graeme Smith scored 277 in 2003, while Zaheer Abbas scored 274 in 1971. Gill’s 269 is the eighth-highest score by a visiting batter in Tests in England.7 – Number of batters, including Gill, with hundreds in their first two Tests as captain. Three of the previous six were Indians – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. Jackie McGlew, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith are the others.5 – Batters with double-hundreds in both Tests and ODIs. Gill joins a list dominated by Indians – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle.4 – Scores higher than Gill’s 269 after being put into bat by the opposition. It is the highest for India.376 – Runs India scored after the fall of Nitish Kumar Reddy at Edgbaston – the most they have added for the last five wickets in a Test innings.3 – Number of 200-plus partnerships involving Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth (or lower) wicket in Tests. Only Adam Gilchrist (six), BJ Watling (five) and MS Dhoni (four) have been part of more such stands. Two of Jadeja’s three such stands have come at Edgbaston.7 – Yashasvi Jaiswal has a 50-plus score in each of his seven Tests against England. Viv Richards and Mark Taylor also had a 50-plus score in each of their first seven Tests against England.