VVS Laxman, the Head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), made a special arrangement for Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his India U19 teammates to witness Shubman Gill's remarkable innings at Edgbaston. The India U19 team, currently touring England for a series of five Youth ODIs and two Youth Tests, were present at Edgbaston on the second day of the Test match between India and England to watch Gill's batting.

Shubman Gill showcased his batting prowess on Day 2 of the second Test, scoring a masterful 269 off 387 balls. His innings included 30 fours and 6 sixes, helping India reach a formidable total of 587. Gill's performance made him the 26th Indian cricketer to hit a Test double century and the first Asian captain to achieve this feat in England. He also surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's score of 221 at the Oval to record the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in England.

The initiative to bring the U19 team to Edgbaston came from VVS Laxman, who recognized the value of exposing young cricketers to a Test match environment. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the coach of the India U19 team, revealed that Laxman was instrumental in organizing the visit. Kanitkar emphasized that watching a Test match live would provide the young players with invaluable insights into building an innings and understanding the nuances of red-ball cricket. He said that Laxman believed it would be a good thing for the colts to watch the game.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old left-handed batter who has been performing well in the ongoing Youth series against England, expressed his excitement about watching Gill play. Suryavanshi sees Gill as a role model and aspires to represent India in Test cricket. He stated that he gained a lot of inspiration from watching Gill's innings and that everyone dreams to play red-ball cricket for their country.

Kanitkar noted that the experience would allow the U19 players to learn that "not every ball has to be whacked for a four and six". He planned to hold a session after the game to discuss the lessons learned from watching Gill's approach to Test match batting. He highlighted Gill's classical Test innings, where he played his shots and chose the right balls, demonstrating how to score runs effectively by playing good cricket shots.

Another young player, Anmoljeet Singh, a spinner from Punjab, shared that watching the match motivated him to play for India. He said that he felt good watching Gill bat and that representing India is a big achievement.

VVS Laxman's gesture was praised for providing a unique and valuable learning experience for the future generation of Indian cricketers. By witnessing Shubman Gill's memorable innings firsthand, the U19 players gained inspiration and a deeper understanding of Test cricket, reinforcing their dreams of representing their country in the sport.