On the fourth evening at Edgbaston, a young Indian batter stepped into a place left empty by a departing legend, and the old game found its rhythm again. Shubman Gill's 161 and Rishabh Pant's brisk 65 built a target of 608 that leaves England, at 72 for 3, facing a chase almost no side has ever completed. Former England cricketer David Lloyd, watching from the commentary world, read the moment as a quiet lesson: the great players are replaced, and the replacement is often the proof that the game endures. Whether the pitch and the fifth day will confirm that view remains unwritten.
'The King Is Dead, Long Live the King': David Lloyd on Gill's Seamless Takeover from Kohli
The King is dead, long live the King
On the fourth evening at Edgbaston, a young Indian batter stepped into a place left empty by a departing legend, and the old game found its rhythm again. Shubman Gill's 161 and Rishabh Pant's brisk 65 built a target of 608 that leaves England, at 72 for 3, facing a chase almost no side has ever completed. Former England cricketer David Lloyd, watching from the commentary world, read the moment as a quiet lesson: the great players are replaced, and the replacement is often the proof that the game endures. Whether the pitch and the fifth day will confirm that view remains unwritten.
By the close of the fourth day at Edgbaston, India had put England in a position that history rarely rewards. Chasing 608 to win the second Test, England finished on 72 for 3, still needing 536 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Most of the credit belonged to Shubman Gill, who made 161 and became the first batter in Test history to score a double hundred and a score of 150 or more in the same match. Rishabh Pant added a fast 65 from 58 balls. Together they built the platform for India's huge total.
David Lloyd, writing in his Daily Mail column, called it a real case of 'The King is dead, long live the King.' He argued that Gill has taken over from Virat Kohli seamlessly, and asked whether world-class players are truly irreplaceable. He also praised Pant as the force that has lifted India after MS Dhoni.
Lloyd raised one doubt: why Kuldeep Yadav was left out in favour of Washington Sundar, a choice he feared could be regretted on a turning day-five surface. For now the pitch offers England a fair chance to bat out a draw, and the final day will hinge on India's ability to find the wickets they need.
By the close of the fourth day at Edgbaston, India had put England in a position that history rarely rewards: chasing 608 to win the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. England ended the evening on 72 for 3, still needing 536 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Most of the credit went to two men. Shubman Gill made 161 off a little over a run a ball, and in doing so became the first batter in Test history to score both a double hundred and a score of 150 or more in the same match. Rishabh Pant added a fast 65 from 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes. Between them they built the platform from which India set the enormous target.
The verdict that drew attention came from former England cricketer David Lloyd, writing in his Daily Mail column. He called it a real case of 'The King is dead, long live the King,' arguing that Gill has taken over from Virat Kohli seamlessly, and in style. Lloyd's wider point was a challenge to received wisdom: people say world-class players are irreplaceable, he wrote, but are they?
Kohli retired from Test cricket in May, leaving India with a vacancy at number four. Gill has filled it quickly. He has scored 585 runs in just four innings of this series, which leaves him eight runs short of Kohli's highest aggregate in a series in England. He has already broken several of Kohli's records on this tour.
Lloyd drew a second parallel with Pant, whom he called 'always box office.' In his view Pant has taken India to the next level after MS Dhoni. The piece notes that Pant has already gone past Dhoni to be considered India's greatest wicketkeeper, a claim it treats as beyond argument, though it is Lloyd's opinion and the article's framing rather than a matter of record.
The column also raised a doubt about India's team selection. Lloyd said he received a message from Farokh Engineer asking why Kuldeep Yadav was not playing, and added that he agreed. India chose the more conservative option of Washington Sundar. Lloyd conceded that Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep have bowled really well on a pitch that hasn't offered much, but wondered whether India will regret not having a wrist-spinner on a day-five surface.
The pitch is not yet doing enough to make batting out a draw hard for England. The final day therefore turns on two things: whether India's bowlers can find the incision to take seven more wickets, and whether England's batters can defend. If the surface starts to turn, Lloyd's question about Kuldeep will get its answer.
Citations marquantes
People say world-class players are irreplaceable, but are they?— David Lloyd, Daily Mail column
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