New Delhi: The question is, was it the surface? The weather, perhaps? Did the bowling cause it? Following another bizarre performance by India in favorable batting conditions, there were several questions circulating. However, aside from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, who became the second Indian captain to ever score hundreds in back-to-back games in England, after Mohammad Azharuddin, only a small number of Indian batsmen were able to respond to them effectively.

India appeared to be in charge at several moments throughout the day after being placed into bat by England, but they managed to give away wickets somehow and finish the second Test at Edgbaston with a score of 310/5.

India recovered from being 211/5 on a surface with little for the bowlers thanks to an unbroken partnership between Gill and Jadeja that yielded 99 runs. It establishes Day 2 in a good way.

A Test's first day has a particular kind of thrill. Team selection is impacted by the pitch and the weather, as well as the skipper's demeanor. And when Gill declared that Jasprit Bumrah was not playing, the audience's wail spoke for itself.

The choice resulted in a flood of memes. If it hadn't been for Gill's skill with the bat, things would likely have gotten much worse. The 25-year-old, who is leading his first series as captain, appears to fall into the latter category, where some captains motivate via tactical brilliance and others through their actions.

His innings was a perfect illustration of what India needed—a calculated performance that would put England on the defensive and wear out their bowlers. However, when perhaps pragmatism was the need of the hour, too many of his teammates opted for adventure.

Kaun Nair, who had taken the place of the dismissed Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, appeared to be at ease in the Indian dressing room despite the early fall of KL Rahul.

With a flurry of fours, he was able to get off the mark thanks to some well-pitched up deliveries, but he was unable to avoid edging a Carse delivery that rose awkwardly to slips just when he seemed to be on track. He will have to accomplish a lot more in the series, but his 31 gave us a taste of what he can offer India.

Gill was brought to the middle by the wicket, and his partnership with Jaiswal demonstrated why the two batsmen are seen as potential stars. Jaiswal is more inclined to attack the bowling, but the captain demonstrated that his batting is not hampered by the obligations of his leadership position.

However, Ben Stokes tripped Jaiswal up with the sucker ball just when it appeared that he would coast to yet another century. It was large, tempting to hit, but it gave England the advantage they desired. The southpaw scored 87 runs on 107 pitches.

By his standards, Pant played calmly as he entered the center. However, he constantly gave the impression that he wanted to pursue Shoaib Bashir, and ultimately, that was the end of him.

After scoring 25, the left-hander was out after being caught in the deep. He was once more let down by his shot selection, despite the fact that there were runs available for the taking.

Additionally, it demonstrated the necessity of purchasing wickets on this surface. Establish the fields, lure the batters, and keep your fingers crossed that they fall for it.

India seemed to be facing the barrel when Nitish Reddy (1) was out nine balls later, shouldering arms to a ball from Chris Woakes that came in sharply.

However, the circumstance didn't appear to bother Ravindra Jadeja in the least. The 36-year-old was a great companion to Gill and displayed sound batting technique.

In addition to becoming the third Indian captain to ever hit hundreds in back-to-back SENA Tests, Gill also accomplished this feat after Azharuddin in New Zealand and England (1990) and Virat Kohli in Australia (2014/15).

Gill would have been under some pressure after the Bumrah decision, but he seemed to just ignore it and concentrate on his batting. The wicket remained flat after lunch, but the skipper volunteered to put his head down for the club.

At the conclusion of the game, Woakes stated, "A good day, but a frustrating day. A couple of decisions go our way early doors and you're looking at a completely different day." The surface appeared rather flat after lunch, but we persisted with our work. Credit to Shubman, he performed admirably and collaborated well with Ravi (Jadeja). We persevered, but they also performed well.

On Day 1, 310 runs would have given India the advantage against any other team, but given how England bats, the visitors will also know that their bowling will be under pressure.

There isn't much batting left after England took the second new ball, and India will be hoping that Gill and Jadeja continue for a little bit on Day 2 as well.

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