Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped praise on Shubman Gill for his attitude as the latter starred with the bat in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England. The right-handed batsman entered the series under severe pressure as his place in the Test XI was questioned by many.
There were calls from several quarters to drop him from the team after he failed to do well at the No. 3 spot. The poor start to the series only added more pressure on him as he registered scores of 23 and 0 in the first Test in Hyderabad.
However, the youngster bounced back in style and played a key role in India’s triumph. Shubman Gill scored a much-needed century in the second innings of the second Test to help India win the game by 106 runs. In the third Test, he missed another century by just nine runs in the second innings as the hosts thrashed England by a record 434 runs.
In the fourth game, he starred with the bat again. Chasing 192, India were reeling on 120 for 5 before the Punjab star’s unbeaten fifty took them home. He finished the series by scoring another century in the fifth Test in Dharamsala. Overall, Shubman Gill finished the series as the second-highest run-scorer, scoring 452 runs at an average of more than 56.
As Shubman Gill shut his critics down in style, Ravichandran Ashwin has heaped praise on him. The ace spinner has praised the youngster not only for his batting but his effort while fielding as well. He revealed how Gill took the responsibility of fielding at short mid-wicket in Virat Kohli’s absence and improved remarkably as the series progressed.
“Short mid-wicket is Virat Kohli’s position. It is very difficult to replace him. Virat and (Suresh) Raina. (Shubman) Gill started off there in the first test, and he looked very uncomfortable. By the final Test, he got it (like Vijay says to Sivakarthikeyan).
“He also took a catch of (Ben) Duckett on covers. It shows that he wants to improve his game on a day-to-day basis, and he’s working on it,” Ashwin said in a YouTube video.
Ravichandran Ashwin on Shubman Gill’s journey so far:
Speaking further, Ashwin said that the ups and downs faced by Shubman Gill in his career so far are very important for someone who has been tipped to be the next superstar of Indian cricket.
“I give extra praise to Shubman Gill because he has seen the ups and downs of the game. People discussed his position in the XI. He had a few technical issues of his own. He came past all that to become what he is today, like how gold is molten from flames and water.
“And for somebody who is bound to be the next superstar of Indian cricket, as people project, this is a very important journey for him. He has handled the pressure, and massive applause is for him,” said Ashwin.
Both Ashwin and Gill will be seen in action next in the upcoming IPL 2024. While Ashwin will be playing for Rajasthan Royals, Gill will be leading Gujarat Titans.
