Credit: BCCI
A batsman who watches the ball, involves minimal risk taking in his game and has strokes all around the wicket, Shubman Gill is a find for Team India.
In all, the blazing right hander from Firozpur, Punjab has played 14 Test series in his growing career so far.
Here’s what becomes immediately important in terms of Gill’s experience against the very side is that he’ll be leading India.
Of those 14, 3 series have come versus England, one each in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
But when we think of someone like Shubman Gill, we tend to look for the areas that point to optimism especially since in his calm and level headed batting up the order point to India having found a stable factor in the line-up.
So here’s the positive light.
The last that he played a Test series against England, albeit as a regular member of the eleven, not captain, the right hander struck two centuries, one each in Vizag (104) and Dharamsala (110). He had also fallen short by just nine runs in what was a gritty knock of 91 played between the twin hundreds, it coming in Saurashtra.
That being said, the 2024 series against the English was the most productive one for Shubman Gill who made 452 runs off a 760-ball-stay at the wicket.
This was a true indication of patience and flair under pressure for he had to prove his credentials in order to become a recurring phenomenon in the Indian Test line up.
And just what do we see a little over half a year from that prosperous Test showing in India? The once newcomer to the Indian Test set up is that very set up’s captain.
If that is not an incredible surge, then what is? Yet, what’s important in the construct of Shubman Gill is to remember just how vital a member of the Test set up he has become now that the greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have become former members of the side.
But there’s more context to Gill from the standpoint of India’s forthcoming tour to England. The newly appointed India Test captain stands on the verge of a key landmark. And it’s highly likely that the tall batter will be raising his bat soon to acknowledge that.
So what is it?
With 1893 Test runs to his name, Shubman Gill is just 107 away from 2,000 international Test match runs. For fans, who expect the classy batter to come good especially in alien conditions like England, nothing will please them more than the captain ragging the checkered milestone whilst on his way to a fifty plus, or better yet, a 100-run score.
What do you think?
Moreover, there’s sufficient reason to rest on the factor of optimism that Gill’s Test credentials happen to suggest. Thus far, 12 of his 59 Test cricket outings with the bat have yielded a fifty or a fifty plus score that includes five centuries. Doing basic schoolboy math suggests a fifth of each of Shubman Gill’s innings have been personal milestones and thus, impacted his team’s scores. There’s 7 fifties in it too.
On the whole, 592 of his 1893 runs have come exclusively against England, Gill’s next big mission. There’s no reason to believe Gill will have it easy- the likes of Wood, Rashid, Archer, Atkinson and Carse and company won’t let that happen. But there’s reason to believe that with key runs already under his belt, India’s capable top order bat will look to shine and shine he must. For now is the time.
