Inadian cricket team is currently facing England in their first Test match of 5 in Hyderabad. England won the toss and have opted to bat first.  On the first day of the first Test, England stands at 72/3 after 17 overs, with Root at 2* and Bairstow at 12*. Opting to bat, England faced strong bowling from India, notably from Ashwin with 2/6 and Jadeja with 1/25. The match is finely poised for further excitement.  (At the time of writing)

3 things you need to know 

• India vs England 1st Test match is underway
• England won the toss and opted to bat 
• India has shown great bowling so far in the 1st session 

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Shubman Gill eyes a breakthrough in the India vs England Test series

Building on his success in limited-overs cricket last year, Shubman Gill is certain that 2024 will be a breakthrough year for him in Test cricket. The batter, who is right-handed, expressed satisfaction with his new position at number three in the current World Test Championship cycle. The 24-year-old clarified the differences between starting at No. 3 and beginning the innings by stating that he has started to depend more on his defensive abilities to succeed in red-ball cricket.

On the first day of the first Test match between India and England in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25, Gill talked with the official broadcaster Jio Cinema about his changing philosophy towards Test cricket. Shubman Gill said: 

“I like batting at three. I hope I'd be there for a long time. We are used to playing in these wickets and these conditions."It's about trusting your defense and then to be able to pounce on the opportunity that you get to score runs. Last year was a breakthrough year for me in white-ball. This year, I believe, is going to be a breakthrough year for me in red-ball.”

“Generally when you are opening, you are more used to going straightaway. It's all about how calm you can be and how much assessment you can do while you are out there, and I got that quite a few times to do.”

“In the first Test match (in West Indies), both Yashasvi and Rohit bhai both scored a century. I sat there for about 50-60 overs. If I sit out for 50-60 overs today, I would be happy.”

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Shubman Gill’s Test career so far 

Shubman Gill has performed admirably in T20Is and ODIs, but there have been issues with his Test cricket career. He has amassed 1040 runs at an average of 30.59 from 20 Test matches, with two hundreds and four fifties.

He has averaged 23.71 while scoring 166 runs in eight innings when playing at No. 3, however he has failed to reach a half-century. Notably, he struggled in the two World Test Championship finals, scoring 13 and 18 against Australia in 2023 and 28 and 8 against New Zealand in 2021.

Shubman Gill has amassed 140 runs at an average of 17.50 in nine innings against England, including one half-century. He scored just 74 runs at an average of 18.50 across four innings in South Africa. Even with his achievements in limited-overs forms, Gill still has difficulties in the Test arena.