Shubman Gill turned the tide of his journey in Test cricket with a century. His ton while batting at No. 3 in the second innings against England helped India secure victory and level the series. Shubman’s century, however, came after a long dry spell where the youngster hadn’t scored a half-century in 12 innings.
His performance came under scrutiny from cricket veterans like Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar. The former India coach, during commentary, hinted at a potential replacement by Cheteshwar Pujara.
“These youngsters have to prove themselves. Don’t forget, Pujara is waiting. He is grinding it out at the Ranji Trophy and is always in the radar,” Shastri said while doing commentary on JioCinema.
Sunil Gavaskar was earlier unhappy with Gill’s shot selection when he got out in the first innings of the second Test.
“What kind of a shot was he looking to play? One can understand if he was looking to play it in the air but it was just a badly executed on-drive. He did all the hard work and then played a shot like that,” Gavaskar said.
In December 2023, Gavaskar said he thought Gill’s batting style was too aggressive for Test cricket. “There is a slight difference when you play Test cricket compared to T20I and ODI cricket. The difference is in the ball,” the legendary cricketer told Star Sports.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, too, was concerned about Gill’s performance in Test cricket.
“He has somebody in the dressing room who changed my game: Rahul Dravid. I don’t know if he will watch this broadcast, but go and spend time with Gill and do the same stuff he talked to me about. Get him to hit the ball on the off-side, practice picking the lengths better, and rotation of the strike. Do things that will help him become a better player,” Pietersen earlier said on JioCinema.
Yuvraj Singh’s comment after Shubman Gill’s century
Gill’s resilience, nevertheless, shone through in Vizag. After a shaky start marked by close LBW calls, Gill’s determination led to his first fifty in 13 innings. He eventually converted it into a century.
Yuvraj Singh acknowledged Gill’s remarkable comeback. On social media, he celebrated Gill’s century, emphasising the significance of Gill’s response to his critics with his bat.
“Rising to the occasion once again and playing a well-balanced knock! Good to see the three digit mark. Well played my boy – let the bat do the talking,” said Yuvraj.
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Published: 06 Feb 2024, 10:45 AM IST
