Rishabh Pant: Team India captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant formed a 47-run partnership for the fourth wicket on Day 1 (Wednesday, July 2) of the ongoing second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, after the side were invited to bat first by England. During the stand, Pant and Gill’s discussion about running between the wickets was caught on the stump microphone.
Pant could be heard telling Gill that the ball had softened a bit. The two also had a brief chat about making a clear call before going for a single. The southpaw was head, telling the Indian skipper not to preempt the run and focus on calling.
The stump mic captured Pant saying:
“Dekh lenge call pe. Pehle hi mat decide kar kuch bhi. Call rakhenge ek.” (It depends on the call. Don’t preempt anything. Stick to one call.)
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill’s partnership ended in the 61st over. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir did the trick for England by removing the dangerous Pant. The swashbuckling batter scored 25 runs off 42 balls before getting caught by Zak Crawley at long-on.
Gill, on the other hand, crossed the 50-run mark with a four off Bashir’s bowling in the 57th over. At the time of writing, he is batting at 87* from 179 balls alongside Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 43). The visitors are 262/5 at this stage.
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill’s centuries went in vain in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test
Rishabh Pant stole the show with his batting exploits in the Test series opener against England at Headingley, Leeds. He registered scores of 134 and 118, becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to hit twin tons in a Test.
Shubman Gill also shone with the bat in the clash. He notched up a stunning hundred on his Test captaincy debut, scoring 147 runs in the first innings. Despite their heroics, India suffered a heartbreaking five-wicket defeat.
England overhauled a massive 371-run target set by India in the fourth innings, recording the tenth highest chase in Test cricket history. The Shubman Gill-led side will look to bounce back by coming up with an improved performance in the second Test.
However, the records favor England as India are yet to win a single Test at Edgbaston. They have seven defeats and one draw to their name at the venue.
