Shubman Gill's symphony at Edgbaston: Abbey Road, not autotune

ENG vs IND, 2nd Test: At Edgbaston, Shubman Gill crafted a well-compiled 114 not out off 216 balls, leading India's batting charge on a topsy-turvy day. Calm and unhurried, Gill batted with remarkable control to bring up his second century as Test captain in as many matches.

In Short

• Shubman Gill played with 94 percent control on Day 1 of Edgbaston Test
• The India captain remained unbeaten on 114 after facing 216 balls
• Gill played old-school Test cricket - with soft hands and trusted his defence

He may look like the K-pop idol of Indian cricket. Sharp jawline, designer fits, and a social feed that swings from Peaky Blinders to baggy streetwear. But when Shubman Gill walks out to bat, he plays like a Beatles B-side on vinyl. All Gen Z gloss off it, all classical poise on it. In the middle, Gill is one of the few modern-day batters whose game still carries the charm of a bygone era.

Even in the Indian Premier League, Gill's brand of batting feels more Abbey Road than autotune. The reverse scoops and audacious switch hits haven't cracked his clean, straight-bat playbook yet.

Hard to believe? Gill and old-school?

Well, over the course of 211 deliveries, Gill showed he could have easily belonged to an era of handlebar moustaches and unrolled sleeves, walking out to bat without a helmet on minefield pitches. As captain, he seemed entirely in his element - ignoring the noise of Bazball and the flamboyance of a teammate like Rishabh Pant, who has crafted his own high-octane version of Test-match batting.

Gill's innings at Edgbaston felt like a love letter to vintage Test cricket - slow, gritty, and gloriously unhurried. He batted as if algorithmic strike rates didn't exist, wearing down an English attack that kept inventing new questions, even on a flat Birmingham pitch under a punishing summer sun.

ENG vs IND, 2nd Test, Day 1: HIGHLIGHTS

At 25, Gill became one of the youngest men to lead India in Tests. The promotion was swift, perhaps sooner than even he expected. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from red-ball cricket midway through the IPL, and Jasprit Bumrah choosing to manage his workload, Indian cricket turned to Gill - a player still trying to find his footing in the longest format.

A white-ball prince, yes. But a Test match king in the making? That was still up for debate.

LET THE BAT DO THE TALKING

And with two hundreds in three innings in England, Gill seems to have answered his critics.

The latest came on the opening day at Edgbaston - a clean, composed 114 not out off 216 balls that placed him alongside Mohammad Azharuddin and Virat Kohli as the only Indian captains to score two hundreds in Tests in England. If his 147 in Leeds was a rebuttal to doubt, this one was something else. An unhurried display of his renewed hunger, his ability to enjoy the burden of responsibility.

India had been jolted early. KL Rahul, one of the four centurions from Leeds, fell cheaply after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl. Karun Nair looked in good touch but was dismissed on the cusp of lunch. Gill, walking in at 4, needed to steady the ship. And he did. By stumps, he was still there, having shepherded India to 310 for 5 with a vital 99-run stand alongside Ravindra Jadeja.

Yes, it wasn't a raging seamer at Edgbaston. But, the situation hadn't been easy. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 13 runs shy of a century, flashed hard and edged. Rishabh Pant fell into a well-crafted trap laid by Stokes for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Nitish Reddy shouldered arms to one that demanded defence. At 211 for 5, India looked wobbly. But Gill didn't blink.

IN FULL CONTROL

He batted with remarkable discipline. Broadcasters noted a control percentage of 94. England went straight to the one soft spot they knew: the ball darting in toward his pads. But Gill was ready. He took guard a yard or two outside the crease to cut down LBW chances against Chris Woakes. Against the pace of Brydon Carse, he held his ground slightly deeper. Each adjustment felt deliberate.

He played with soft hands, trusted his defence, and rarely poked outside off. Where once he was prone to fishing at away swingers and exposing the gate to inswingers, here he was near watertight. He blocked, left, and occasionally punished. Out of the 211 balls he faced, 148 were dots. He resisted temptation. Bouncers were pulled with control. Floaters outside off were left alone. And if the bowlers missed, Gill didn't.

GILL VS ENGLAND BOWLERS

• Vs Chris Woakes - 29 off 58 balls - 86% control
• Vs Shoaib Bashir - 27 off 3 - 100%
• Vs Brydon Carse - 23 off 37 - 92%
• Vs Ben Stokes - 16 off 33 - 94%
• Vs Josh Tongue - 11 off 29 - 100%
• Vs Joe Root - 8 off 6 - 83%

And context matters. India had coughed up over 800 runs in Leeds and still lost. The risk of collapse loomed large again. At 211 for 5, the wounds were fresh. But Gill was the balm - calm, clear, and composed. His innings steadied India and sent a signal to the dressing room: no more easy collapses. Not on his watch.

Former England batter Jonathan Trott summed it up neatly: "Nowadays, we're so used to soaring scoring rates. But today, Gill showed us an old-age attribute - putting a high price on his wicket. We saw glimpses of it in Pant and Reddy too, but Gill made the bowlers earn everything. There was a plan, a technique, and an intent. It was old-school. It was excellent."

Before the series began, Gill spoke of wanting to be India's best batter, and of keeping leadership and form separate. That's easier said than done. And yet, here he is - steering the ship, and scoring runs.

Yes, the team is in flux. Yes, Gill hasn't yet built the aura of a Kohli or a Ganguly. But the raw material is there.

For now, he's scoring runs again. More importantly, he's doing it with poise in difficult conditions.

Some feared India needed Gill the batter more than Gill the captain. That juggling both could cost them each. But at Edgbaston, the answer came.

Chill, bro. Gill's got this.

- Ends