As the India-England Test series heats up, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still very much in the picture.
According to moneycontrol.com, the merchandise shop at the famous cricket ground was almost sold out of all IPL jerseys except for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The report said that on Day 1, more IPL jerseys were sold during the lunch break than India and England jerseys.
This shows the IPL’s reach. Born in India, the league has created rivalries among international and local fans and is growing the game.
In England, the IPL is now competing with the English Premier League (EPL) in terms of viewership. The popularity is also reflected in Sky Sports’ social media activity. The official broadcaster of many cricket matches is more active during the IPL than during major international games.
Shubman Gill cemented his position as one of India’s top batsmen with an almost perfect, record-breaking double century and gave his team the upper hand in the second Test.
Gill’s 269 off 387 balls in his first Test as captain allowed India to reach 587 before the Indian pace attack, which is inexperienced, broke England’s top-order and left the hosts at 77/3 at the end of day 2.
Joe Root (18* off 37) and Harry Brook (30* off 53) calmed the England dressing room after the team lost three wickets for 25 runs.
England’s bowlers got no help from the pitch but the Indian bowlers got swing and seam.
Playing his first game of the series, Akash Deep took two wickets in two balls and ended the day on a high for his team before Mohammed Siraj made it even better by getting Zak Crawley caught at first slip.
Akash made the ball seam away both times and got Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope out in his second over.
Pope played a loose shot, trying to push the moving ball towards mid-wicket. In Duckett’s case, Gill also played a role, taking a sharp catch at third slip.
Read Also:- Shubman Gill Reveals Emotional Message from Father After Record 269
But the day belonged to Gill who hit 30 fours and 3 sixes in his record-breaking double century and became the highest individual scorer for India in England, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid.
He is also the first Asian captain to score a double hundred in England.He wants to be the top batter of the series and is on course for it. Three Tests
