Gill & Co aim to lord over England at Lord's

India's previous win at the iconic venue could spur them to beat England yet again & take a lead in the 5-match series

- FIROZ MIRZA @LONDON

Almost four years ago, it was here at the Lord's India registered one of their most remarkable wins in Test cricket. Then skipper Virat Kohli gave a fiery pep talk that inspired the team to the historic triumph. Defending 272 on the last day, Kohli gathered his men in a huddle and delivered a short but powerful message, roaring, "Let them know we're here to win. If I see anyone laughing, see what happens. Got it? For the 60 overs they should feel hell out there."

The end result — England were bowled out for 120 giving India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Cut to present, the most successful Test captain the country ever had is not here in India whites but the team, led by Shubman Gill, seems determined to do what their predecessors couldn't do in the last 18 years — win a series at Old Blighty in the longest format of the game.

As Kohli and Co did at the Lord's, Gill and his team fashioned a memorable victory at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1. What made it more memorable was their loss at Leeds, Headingley in the first Test where they were ahead of their opponents for almost four days only to end up on the losing side on the final day.

Usually, after such a morale-breaking loss, it's difficult to regroup and deliver, but the visitors not only did that but also created history by winning the match by 336 runs, their biggest triumph overseas in terms of runs. While that victory four years ago silenced naysayers who were questioning India's Test credentials overseas, the win in Birmingham has given belief to Gill and Co, who went into the series as underdogs, especially with veterans like Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin retiring from Tests.