By News18
The India-England Test series might be heating up by the day, but the behemoth that is the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to make its presence felt.
According to moneycontrol.com, the merchandise store at the iconic cricket ground sold almost every IPL jersey, apart from the champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)鈥檚. The report also said that at the Lunch break on Day 1, more IPL jerseys were being sold than India and England ones.
It鈥檚 yet another example of IPL鈥檚 worldwide reach. An India-made, India-first league, it has created rivalries in diaspora and locals of several countries in the world, while also pushing the sport鈥檚 growth.
In England, IPL now competes with the English Premier League (EPL) for viewership. The popularity can also be gauged by how Sky Sports, the official broadcaster for most cricket matches, is often more active during IPL on social media than it is during even the biggest international matches.
Gill leads India to dominance in Edgbaston
Shubman Gill cemented his status among India鈥檚 batting elites with a nearly flawless and record-breaking double century, giving his team total control of the second Test.
Gill鈥檚 monumental 269 off 387 balls in his debut series as Test captain enabled India to post a massive 587 all out before the inexperienced Indian pace attack dismantled England鈥檚 top-order, reducing the hosts to 77 for three at stumps on day two.
Joe Root (18 not out off 37) and Harry Brook (30 not out off 53) calmed the nerves in the England dressing room after the hosts lost three wickets for just 25 runs.
While England鈥檚 bowlers received no assistance from the pitch, the Indian bowlers found swing and seam.
Playing his first game of the series, Akash Deep struck twice in two balls to cap off a perfect day for his team before Mohammed Siraj made it even better by having Zak Crawley caught at first slip.
Akash got the ball to seam away both times, leading to the dismissals of the dangerous Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in his second over.
Pope played a rather loose shot, attempting to push the moving ball towards mid-wicket. In Duckett鈥檚 case, Gill played a significant role as well, taking a sharp catch at third slip.
However, the day truly belonged to Gill, who amassed 30 fours and three sixes on his way to a record-breaking double century, making him the highest individual scorer for India in England, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid.
He also became the first Asian captain to score a double hundred on these shores.
For someone who had expressed his desire to be the best batter of the series, Gill is well on his way to achieving that goal.
In just three innings in England, the 25-year-old has managed to improve his average from the mid-30s at the start of the series to 40.
(With PTI Inputs)