With a maximum of Shoaib Bashir in the second Test at Edgbaston, Rishabh Pant toppled Tim Southee in the list of most sixes against England in the longest format of the game. The India keeper-batter now has 31 sixes against England, while Southee has 30. As things stand, only former cricketer Viv Richards is ahead of Pant on the list. The flamboyant cricketer has 34 sixes against England in Test cricket.
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is fourth with 27 Test sixes against the Three Lions. He didn’t hit any maximums in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, or he would have drawn closer to Southee. Nevertheless, Jaiswal played a vital knock of 87 runs to help the visitors establish their authority in the middle.
Jaiswal, Gill star on Day 1
India lost the wicket of KL Rahul early in the day, as he departed for only two runs. Karun Nair, who was promoted to number three, showed promise, but he departed after scoring 31 runs. It was his highest score in Test cricket, barring 303 against England eight years back. After he departed, the pressure fell on the batting unit, but Jaiswal and Shubman Gill showed tremendous maturity.
After the opener departed, Gill and Pant built a crucial partnership. They stitched a partnership of 47 runs. Pant, who was playing smart, fell to Bashir’s trap in the 61st over, when he stepped out to play the flight but failed to time it. He departed after scoring 25 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy too followed suit, departing for only one run.
Since then, Gill has done a commendable job in keeping the scoreboard ticking. Along with Jadeja, he showed the right intent and stitched an unbeaten 99-run partnership to end the day’s play.