Just 5 minutes before lunch, Shubman Gill, having crossed his hundred, was performing his signature celebration. He was doffing his cap, taking a bow. Behind him stood Rohit Sharma, like a proud parent. The Indian captain seemed more pleased now than he was a few minutes back when he had registered his 12th Test ton. A radiating smile on his face, hands spread wide, he waited for his younger batting partner Shubman Gill to finish his thing.
They would hug each other as Rohit kept patting his back. Dharamsala stood up and gave a hearty applause to the duo that had entertained them all morning. On the foothills of the scenic snow-capped Middle Himalayan range, inside the perfectly circular quaint stadium with as many colors as there are in those popular bushehri or pahadi topis (Himachali caps), Rohit (103) and Shubman Gill (110) played beautiful cricket.
The two hundreds of Day 2 of the Test were embedded by several well-timed correct strokes, the kind that sees cricket romantics go weak in their knees. Between them they scored 129 runs in the first session and this was not a brutal assault, this was the classic death by thousand cuts.
Shubman Gill’s mesmerizing innings at Dharamsala holds India in a commanding position to win 5th test
The stand-out stroke of the2nd Day morning came from Shubman Gill’s bat. It was against England’s wily old bowler James Anderson, who was avoiding the drivable length. The tactic wouldn’t work, Shubman Gill was prepared to be proactive and take risks. He would take a couple of steps, reach the pitch of the ball but still be conscious of being correct and elegant.
He followed the basic principle of the age-old copy-book straight drive – the one played with a perfectly straight elbow position. But he gave the shot a modern-day tweak. On reaching the ball, he would lift the ball and send it over the fence.
Pacers have historically felt insulted when batsmen push them in the V for a boundary. A six over the sight screen after rushing down the track is an embarrassment. When a 24-year-old, read Shubman Gill, shows such disdain to a 41-year-old, James Anderson; a farewell can be expected to be round the corner.
Soon Shubman Gill would strike a four through covers. That one stroke would have delighted the Team India coaching staff more than fans in the stands. Of late there had been a pattern to Shubman Gill’s dismissals. Getting stuck on the crease and being late in coming forward, he has got out bowled or lbw. His indecisiveness has seen the ball sneaking between the bat and pad and hitting the stumps. On this day, he would also log in 5 sixes enroute his 2nd century of the series this time in 1st innings a magnificent 110 runs.
Shubman Gill proves all the critics wrong and makes No 3 position his own
Though Shubman Gill has scored over 400 runs in this series, the pundits have pointed out that the “transfer of weight” – the important law that defines the physics of footwork – hasn’t been smooth. Today at Dharamsala, with runs flowing freely, the doubts disappeared and the muscle memory returned.
As Wood pitched the ball slightly up, out went the left foot and got planted on the pitch. As a natural reaction, the right eased its grip on the surface and the bat moved to meet the ball with full force. Those good old habits were returning, Shubman Gill was back to his best.
Not just strokes, there was one Shubman Gill photogenic ‘leave’ that would have excited the many camerapersons bunched on the sidelines with their zoom lenses. Wood, in the middle of an inspired spell, gave it his all. A ball from good length climbed up towards Gill’s head. Lesser batsmen would get hit on the helmet grill. It was a mean 146 kph ball, capable of serious damage.
But Shubman Gill was too focused to be caught off guard. Showing the flexibility of an expert yogi, he swayed away, his abdomen bending back and his legs folding instinctively to provide a base for the body to be stable. He wasn’t rattled by the pace or the sudden bounce. He moved away, stayed low but wasn’t clumsy nor had a fall after averting the danger. He was like an expert gymnast who had stuck his landing perfectly after a difficult routine.
After the dismal first 3 innings of this series , an iconic turnaround saw Shubman Gill mustered In 9 innings, racked up 452 runs at an average of 56.50 most runs coming in his last 6 innings including 2 centuries and 2 half century. This masterful strokeplay urged Former Indian batter now commentator Aakash Chopra to go all in praise of a new No 3 star for India atleast for a while now.
I am convinced that Shubman Gill has the DNA of greatness- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was in awe of Shubman Gill, who scored a spectacular hundred on Day 2 of India’s 5th Test against England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. Shubman Gill, who was fighting for form when the series started, raced to his 4th Test hundred off 137 balls by hitting Shoaib Bashir for a four.
Shubman Gill went on to score 110 runs off 150 deliveries with 12 fours and 5 sixes before becoming James Anderson’s 699th victim in Test cricket as India ended the day with 473 for 8 with a 255 run lead over England and will hope to extend it near the 300 mark to steer an innings defeat to England in following days.
During the discussion on Color’s Cineplex Chopra was asked about his thoughts on Shubman Gill’s century the former Indian batter said :
“I am convinced that Shubman Gill has the DNA of greatness because of the way he bats. A lot of things are important while batting. Scoring runs is one thing but the other thing is to get the understanding of how to score runs,” he responded.
The former Indian opener added that figuring out how to score runs is the crucial aspect of batting.
“Everyone has to score runs to reach here or else you wouldn’t have reached here, it’s very simple. However, at times it takes a lifetime to understand when, how, and against whom you have the most chances of scoring runs,” Chopra stated.
Chopra pointed out that both Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal have developed that understanding early in their careers.
“We have seen in Yashasvi’s short career that he has a very good understanding of that, and we are seeing that with Shubman Gill consistently, that if the pitch is to his liking, he shouldn’t stop,” he observed.
“How to play Tom Hartley on this pitch, when and which ball to hit against Shoaib Bashir, which shots to play against fast bowling, and which not to play, this maturity is telling that if this DNA is nurtured properly, you have two batting superstars of world cricket in front of you,” he said.