"That was tactical" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja's slow partnership in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja's slow partnership before Tea on Day 4 of the second Test against England was tactical. He highlighted that the approach was bound to be part of the game plan as the captain was in the middle.

Gill and Jadeja stitched together a 175-run fifth-wicket partnership as India declared their second innings at 427/6 in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5. The visitors then reduced England to 72/3 at Stumps after setting them an improbable 608-run target.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reckoned that Gill and Jadeja's slightly conservative approach before Tea was deliberate.

"Weren't Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja playing too slow? There was a stage where only 68 runs were scored in 21.3 overs when one player was nearing his century and the other player had been promoted to hit, but you weren't hitting. Did they play defensively? Of course, they did," Chopra said (6:45).

"Spending time was a tactical decision before Tea because as soon as Tea got over, both started hitting. It means that you didn't slow down suddenly and allowed the match to drift. That was tactical, and when the captain is on the ground, you assume whatever is happening is part of the game plan. It is not by default, it is by design," he added.

Shubman Gill (161 off 162) and Ravindra Jadeja (69* off 118) added 68 runs in 21.4 overs before Tea. The duo smashed 107 runs in 12.5 overs after Tea.

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"You want to take yourself to a position from where only 2 results are possible" - Aakash Chopra on India's delayed declaration in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

India have virtually batted England out of the second Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that India delayed their declaration to ensure that they don't lose the game.

"The next thing is the declaration. What things are in your mind when you think about a declaration? Firstly, if you can do that, you want to take yourself to a position from where only two results are possible, either you would win or the match would be drawn," he said (7:45).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the buffer of runs India have would allow them to set attacking fields even if England bat aggressively. He highlighted that the number of overs the visitors would need to bowl the hosts out would have been a deciding factor.

"There is a reason for that. If you have a lot of runs, no matter how aggressive the opposing team might play and no matter how big a partnership there might be, you can keep attacking fields for a very, very long period of time. Secondly, you start backcounting the number of overs you would need," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that India have also played with England's ego. He highlighted that Ben Stokes and company are not used to playing defensively, an approach they might have to follow now.