ENG vs IND 2025: 'The idea was to enjoy my batting and stay in the moment' - Shubman Gill analyses his epic 269-run knock in Edgbaston Test

Shubman Gill notched up his maiden double century for India in red-ball cricket on Day 2 of the second Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Thursday, July 3. The Indian Test captain played a majestic knock of 269 runs off 387 balls, helping India post a massive total of 587 in the first innings after being asked to bat first by Ben Stokes.

Shubman became the first Asian captain to score a double century in Test matches in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries. He also recorded the highest score by an Indian batter outside Asia, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's 241* versus Australia at Sydney in 2004.

However, while speaking after the end of Day 2, Shubman revealed that he was struggling to find boundaries at one stage of his innings, and he even had a chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the same. However, the 25-year-old didn't panic, as he knew he had to bat deep, knowing that batting collapses like in the first Test could happen in English conditions.

"I felt the ball had gone soft, and my shots were going straight to the fielders. I was around 35–40 off 100 balls and spoke to Gautam bhai about struggling to find boundaries. The runs weren’t coming as freely as they did in the first Test, and I knew if I was set, I had to stay till the end and finish the job. The learnings from the last match were clear—lower-order collapses can happen quickly in these conditions, so my focus was to bat deep and cut down on mistakes," Shubman said while speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Match Centre Live’.

The right-handed batter also admitted that he had failed to capitalise on starts earlier in his career, but he went back to the basics and tried to stay relaxed and in the moment while batting at Edgbaston.

"I had worked on my initial movement and setup during the IPL and in the lead-up to this series. Earlier, I’d often get out around the 30s and 40s—perhaps due to missing my peak concentration window. This time, I went back to the basics—how I used to bat as a kid. I focused on rhythm, stayed relaxed, and didn’t think about the score. The idea was to enjoy my batting and stay in the moment," Gill stated.

 I started practicing with the red ball during the IPL itself: Shubman Gill

Shubman said that switching formats isn't an easy task. Most of the Indian players featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which ended two weeks prior to the start of the Anderston-Tendulkar Trophy. Shubman revealed that he had started practising with the red ball during the IPL itself.

“Shifting between formats isn’t easy — especially from T20 to Test cricket. Over the last four or five years, we’ve seen how drastically the technique, mindset, and overall set-up change. After three months of playing instinct-based cricket, it’s tough to suddenly switch gears and rein it all in. That’s why I started practicing with the red ball during the IPL itself — just to recondition my mind and body for Test match cricket. Test to T20 is manageable, but the other way around really tests your discipline," Shubman said.