India, asked to bat first, posted 310/5 on day one thanks to Gill's 114* and Jaiswal's 87.
Former England players David Lloyd and Steven Finn discussed how far in the boundary ropes at the Edgbaston ground where England and India are clashing in the second Test of the five-match series that began on July 2.
After overcoming a minor collapse on the first day, India has had a respectable start to the second Test match against England, finishing at 310/5. Shubman Gill (114*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (87) delivered opposing but equally significant blows to keep the Indian innings from collapsing, even though they lost KL Rahul cheaply.
The "shortened boundaries" in the Edgbaston also garnered some attention, even though the main focus was on Gill's cool and collected stay and Jaiswal's attacking strokeplay.
Former England batter David Lloyd was ‘confused’ by how far in the boundary ropes were.
“I was confused by how far in the boundary ropes were. I think it has something to do with having them not too close to the advertising boards," he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
However, Steven Finn referred to England's aggressive "Bazball" tactics.
Finn, a former England fast bowler who participated in 36 Test matches from 2010 to 2016, believed that the boundaries were trimmed to accommodate the Ben Stokes-led team's inclination to enjoy chasing in Tests.
“So, we’re here at Edgbaston. I stood right by the boundary rope, which is a considerable way in from where you may anticipate for a normal Test match. England and their propensity to want to win the toss, bowl first and chase in the last innings, maybe is the reason why those boundaries have come so far in,” Finn said on the BBC.
As per the official ICC playing conditions, “The aim shall be to maximize the size of the playing area at each venue. With respect to the size of the boundaries, no boundary shall be longer than 90 yards (82.29 meters), and no boundary should be shorter than 65 yards (59.43 metres) from the centre of the pitch to be used."
In Leeds, England, "Bazballed" India, chasing down 371 on the last day of the match to win by five wickets. After 378, which they also accomplished against India at Edgbaston in the postponed 5th Test in 2022, it was their second-highest successful chase in Test history.
After Australia's 404 on the last day of a Test in 1948, England's 352 on the fifth day to finish the triumph was the second-highest total by any team.