A COMING OF AGE AT EDGBASTON

SHUBMAN GILL'S DOUBLE CENTURY AND THE MAKING OF A GENERATION CRICKETER

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It's not every day that you witness history unfolding before your eyes. But here at Edgbaston, amid blue skies, Shubman Gill carved a masterpiece, a double century that felt less like an innings and more like a statement. Covering the match from the press box in Birmingham, I couldn't help but sense a shift. Not just in the scoreline or the series momentum, but in the arc of Shubman Gill's cricketing journey.

This was not merely a man in form. This was a man taking charge, of his own game, of the team's fortunes, and perhaps, of an entire generation's imagination. India came into this Second Test against England with their backs to the wall. The defeat in the First Test in Leeds, after dominating most of the game, had raised eyebrows. Questions flew thick and fast. Among the voices of doubt, Shubman Gill's name wasn't spared. As the new captain, critics were quick to link tactical errors and batting collapses with his leadership inexperience.