Day two of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston promises to be another enthralling chapter in this series, with India looking to build on their day one score of 310/5. At the close of play on Wednesday, India found themselves in a decent position, largely thanks to a composed century from skipper Shubman Gill.

Gill's innings, his seventh Test century and second since assuming the captaincy, was a masterclass in pacing an innings. He remained unbeaten on 114 at stumps, guiding the innings through tricky periods and demonstrating excellent leadership from the front. His innings followed up his 147 in the previous test at Headingly.

Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed a fluent 87, forming a strong partnership with Gill. However, Jaiswal's dismissal, edging a wide delivery from Ben Stokes to the keeper, triggered a mini-collapse, with India slipping to 211/5. This wobble highlighted concerns about India's middle-order fragility. Ravindra Jadeja, however, joined Gill to steady the ship, and the pair forged an unbroken 99-run stand. Jadeja will resume on day two not out on 41.

England's bowling performance was a mixed bag. Chris Woakes impressed early on, but the bowlers struggled to maintain consistent pressure throughout the day. Ben Stokes picked up the important wicket of Jaiswal. The pitch at Edgbaston appeared to have flattened out as the day progressed, becoming more batting-friendly. Spinners might come into play later in the match as cracks begin to open up on day four.

India had earlier won the toss and chose to bowl. KL Rahul was dismissed early, and Karun Nair looked good for his 31 before he was caught in the slips.

Looking ahead to day two, India will aim to extend their innings and put further pressure on England's batting lineup. The key will be the partnership between Gill and Jadeja, who need to continue their solid stand. England, on the other hand, will be keen to wrap up the Indian innings quickly and get their batsmen in. They will be hoping to exploit any remaining moisture in the pitch and put India under pressure.

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the Indian team is noteworthy. His workload is being managed, which means India are fielding a slightly inexperienced bowling attack. England went with an unchanged lineup from the first Test, meaning Jofra Archer would have to wait for his return.

With good weather conditions predicted for days two and three, the match is set up for an intriguing battle between bat and ball.