Shubman Gill credits head coach Rahul Dravid after playing gritty knock in India’s Ranchi triumph vs England
Shubman Gill has been in the spotlight for a string of poor performances in red-ball cricket. He has failed to make a significant contribution since replacing veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara at No. […]
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Feb 26, 2024 8:43 pm
Shubman Gill (Source: X)
Shubman Gill has been in the spotlight for a string of poor performances in red-ball cricket. He has failed to make a significant contribution since replacing veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3. He entered the ongoing five-match series against England under high pressure, which intensified after the first Test in Hyderabad, where he recorded scores of 23 and 0 in the first and second innings, respectively.
However, he managed to burst the stress balloon with a century in the second match of the Visakhapatnam Test. It was a do-or-die innings for the youngster and he did it well when it mattered most as the rest of the batters struggled to fund runs on a tricky pitch. As the series progressed, Gill managed to shut his critics and almost sealed India’s No.3 spot in Test cricket.
Gill, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the third Test at Rajkot, scored 91 runs off 151 balls in the second innings. He continued his fine form in the fourth innings, helping India cross the finish line with a resilient half-century. With England setting a challenging total on a difficult batting pitch in Ranchi, the home team was in a spot of bother after losing some quick wickets.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a solid start for them. But England managed to induce a mini-collapse which saw India soon losing their five-wickets. Just one more wicket, then England would get the gate open to all-rounders. But Gill and the hero of the match Dhruv Jurel put on a phenomenal partnership, paving the way for India’s five-wicket win.
The two youngsters put on a crucial 72-run partnership to hand England their first Test series defeat under the reins of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, or Bazball era for short. The Punjab-born cricketer scored 52* off 124 balls, while Jurel scored 39* off 77 balls. After India clinching the series 3-1 with one more game to go, Gill took to his Instagram and posted a picture with a captain which read, “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?” 🇮🇳 – Rahul Dravid.”
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also came up with an appreciating tweet for the 24-year-old after he slammed his critics with a match-winning knock in the fourth Test.
“They doubted Shubman like they doubted Virat when he was struggling! DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!” Pietersen’s tweet read.
They doubted Shubman like they doubted Virat when he was struggling!
