Edgbaston Test: Shubman Gill wants top order to shoulder responsibility
What's the story
Skipper Shubman Gill has called for his top-order batters to shoulder responsibility after India's defeat in the 1st Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. The Indian team suffered two historic lower-order collapses, failing to capitalize on strong positions of 430/3 and 340/4. Ahead of the 2nd Test, Gill also hinted at adding an extra spinner at Edgbaston. Here are further details.
Self-reflection
Gill shares his learning from Headingley Test
Gill, reflecting on his captaincy debut, said he could have batted longer and added more runs with Rishabh Pant. He admitted that his dismissal at 147 was a shot he shouldn't have played. The Indian skipper stressed the importance of batting responsibly and not giving away starts on England's flat pitches. "That was my learning from when I was batting," Gill said about his dismissal and its impact on the team's performance.
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Two collapses for India in Leeds
Notably, India collapsed from 287/4 to 364/10 in the second innings at Headingley. The first innings saw a similar story, as India went down from 430/3 to 471 all-out. As per Cricbuzz, the difference of 656 runs between the top five (721) and bottom six (65) is the highest for India in a Test.
Batting depth
Need for lower-order batters to contribute more
Gill also highlighted the need for lower-order batters to contribute more, as they have been struggling compared to other teams. "Definitely [chats have been had]. It's been one of the things that we always talk about, especially with our batting depth... the lower order sometimes isn't able to contribute as much as the other teams," added the Indian captain.
Team strategy
Gill hints at possible changes in Playing XI
Ahead of the 2nd Test at Edgbaston, Gill hinted at possible changes in the team. It was earlier reported that Jasprit Bumrah could be rested at Edgbaston to manage his workload. The Indian captain also hinted that Washington Sundar could be brought in as a second spinner to retain batting depth. "Maybe having an extra spinner might help contain the run flow, especially in the third or the fourth innings," Gill said.
Takeaways
Notable learnings ahead of 2nd Test
The Edgbaston pitch is known to offer decent pace and bounce, but it will dry out, as per reports. Therefore, in place of Bumrah, India could go with either Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav on a drier surface. Nitish Kumar Reddy could also replace Shardul Thakur in the XI. As per ESPNcricinfo, India have never won a Test match at Edgbaston.