The second test between India and England is underway at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Team India won the toss and decided to bat first. There were a few changes in the playing XI for both teams. India had three changes, while England made two.
Both openers started cautiously and added 40 runs for the first wicket. Rohit Sharma got out while playing a ball down the leg side. The Indian skipper made a rusty 41-ball 14. His wicket brought Shubman Gill to the crease.
The 24-year-old played some shots and raced to 34 off 45 balls, including five boundaries. India had a partnership of 49 runs for the second wicket. However, once again, Shubman Gill got out after getting off to a good start. He was dismissed by James Anderson, who picked up his first wicket of the game.
It was yet another failure for Gill in the longest format, which raised many eyebrows. Notably, Gill’s numbers in test cricket are very poor, and since he started batting at no. 3, those have declined only. Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri also slammed the Indian right-hander.
Shastri was on commentary and reminded Gill of Cheteshwar Pujara. He said, “These youngsters have to prove themselves. Don’t forget, Pujara is waiting. He is grinding it out at the Ranji Trophy and is always on the radar.”
Before this inning, Gill registered the scores of 2, 26, 36, 10, 23, and 0 at no. 3. On the other hand, Pujara has been scoring runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023–24. The veteran has scored 535 runs in six innings at an average of 107. The Indian team for the remaining three games has yet to be announced.
And if Gill fails in the second inning as well, then there are chances that he might not get many opportunities. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are likely to be back. Yashasvi Jaiswal has done well, and Rajat Patidar looked good in his debut inning. It is high time for Gill and Iyer to perform.
