ENG vs IND 2025, 2nd Test – Quotes and Reactions from second Test between England and India

India beat England by 336 runs to emerge victorious in the second Test of the ongoing five-match Test series at Edgbaston. The enthralling contest ended with a session to spare on the final day after the hosts were bowled out for 271 in 68.1 overs while chasing a colossal target of 608 for victory, but it wasn’t simply meant to be for the Ben Stokes-led side.

This also ensured it was the first time India had won a Test in Birmingham. It took them 19 attempts to do. With this, India have levelled the series and will go into the third Test at Lord’s with renewed confidence after going down in the series opener by five wickets. The upcoming game at Lord’s also potentially sees the return of Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah to their respective sides, which will spice up the contest even more.

Talking Points

1. Gill motors to career-best score of 269 in first innings masterclass

It was a truly special batting effort by Shubman Gill after England had asked his team to bat first. He not only attained his first double-ton, but also went onto get to his highest Test score while shattering a whole lot of records along the way. Gill’s stellar innings was laced with 30 fours and three sixes. India ended up posting 587 in 151 overs.

2. Brook, Smith carry English first innings amid little help from others  

Harry Brook and Jamie Smith contributed 158 and 184*, respectively, to England’s first innings total of 407. Their 303-run stand for the sixth wicket came after a top-order collapse. However, there was nothing substantial to show as far as the rest of the team was concerned. Six English players went back to the pavilion without opening their mark in the first innings.

3. Gill continues purple patch in second innings charge

Gill was not done net from where he had left off in India’s first innings. He racked up the runs once again, this time 161 off them in just 162 deliveries faced. With this, he also got to 430 runs across both innings of the game. This was the second-best aggregate for a batter in the history of Test cricket in a single match. Gill also became only the second player to record three centuries in his first two games as Test captain, placed in the list after Virat Kohli.

4. Akash Deep dazzles with the ball to drive India to a memorable win

Akash Deep transferred his excellence from England’s first innings to their second to pick up a six-wicket haul in the final innings of the game. His sheer accuracy and commitment to bowl in challenging channels helped him register the best Test match figures for India in England (10/187) in what was his first red-ball international in the United Kingdom.

Who Said What?

Shubman Gill (India captain and Player of the Match)

All the things we spoke about after the first game, we were spot on with all of those things. Our bowling and fielding was tremendous to see. On this kind of wicket, we knew if we get 400-500 on this kind of wicket, we’ll be in the game. Not everytime we’re going to drop that many catches that we did in Headingley. They (fast bowlers) were magnificent and I think the way we were able to get through the top-order, that was important to us, and both those bowlers bowled brilliantly and even Prasidh, he didn’t get as many wickets as them, but he also bowled brilliantly. He (Akash Deep) bowled with so much heart. The areas and lengths he hit, he was getting the ball to move both ways. On wickets like these, it’s difficult to do that, he was just magnificent for us. I’d say I’m feeling comfortable with my game, hopefully if we win the series with my contributions, I’ll feel happier. Everyday is a learning curve for me. Whenever I go out there, I’ve said this before, I just want to play as a batsman and I want to think as a batsman and I want to make my decisions and risk management as a batsman. Sometimes when you are out there and thinking as a captain, you don’t take that risks which I think as a batsman sometimes is necessary. Definitely (Bumrah back at Lord’s?). Very excited for that (Lord’s Test). Probably the most iconic cricket stadium in the world and as a kid everyone dreams about playing there and I think no bigger honour than to be able to captain your country and lead your team there.

Ben Stokes (England captain)

Tough one. Two moments. Having them at 200/5 and not being able to burst them open. And then being 80/5 in our reply to India’s big 1st innings there is obviously going to be tough to be able to scrape it back from there. You look back at the start of the game, 200/5, if we were able to gets some wickets quicker, things could have been a little different. As the game got deeper and deeper, it sort of turned into a wicket, probably suited India more than us to be honest. Being 80/5 in reply to India’s big first innings total is obviously going to be tough from there. We ran in and tried everything, we changed plans and when a team is on top of you, obviously India is a class team. It’s always very hard to wrestle back when the opposition is full of world-class performers. Shubman has had an unbelievable game with the bat. It is always tough, when you do spend time out in the field, your body is tired and mind is tired. It’s upto us individuals and as a team, try and get the best out of the situations. Jamie has been incredible since he came into the team, he has been exceptional with the bat and he goes massively into the radar with his wicket-keeping. Just shows that his natural game and the way him and Harry were able to wrestle the momentum back towards us, I thought it was very very special part of the game to watch from the dressing room. Been another tough week, spend some time in the field and bowlers have run in hard all week again. We got to reset on everything and see where we end up come Lord’s.

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