AB de Villiers snubs Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah to name the Indian player whose performance helped India win the Vizag Test

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers lauded Shubman Gill for his remarkable century in the second Test between India and England. AB de Villiers noted that Shubman Gill’s exceptional performance was the defining factor that separated the two teams.

Shubman Gill faced pressure before the second Test against England after a series of subpar performances in red-ball cricket. The 24-year-old batter had not reached the half-century mark since the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June.

Shubman Gill Just Showed The Incredible Character – AB de Villiers

In a video on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers is impressed by Shubman Gill‘s character and talent, emphasizing the significance of his century in the second Test match.

“He (Gill) came to Vizag and just showed the incredible character that the young man has got. What an incredible player. I don’t know if he has worked on his technique at all or has anything changed, but it just shows you the talent he has got. In the second innings of a big Test match, that was a telling hundred and let me tell you, that was the difference between the two sides,” AB De Villiers said.

Shubman Gill scored 104 runs off 147 deliveries in India’s second innings of the recent Test match. This was his third Test century and his first while batting at number three for India. The right-handed batter helped the Indian team set up a target of 399 runs.

Apart from Gill, no other Indian batter managed to surpass the half-century mark in India’s second innings in Visakhapatnam. The visiting team was bowled out for 292 runs in the final innings. The home team leveled the ongoing five-match home series at 1-1.

My Heartbeat Was The Same Throughout My Innings – Shubman Gill

“Honestly, I’ll sum it up in one line. My heartbeat playing the first ball and playing my last ball was the same. Yes, my heartbeat was the same. My heartbeat was the same throughout my innings. That’s how nervous I was feeling even after scoring 104,” Gill said.

Following his century in the second innings, Shubman Gill has significantly advanced in the latest ICC Test Rankings for batters. The Indian No. 3 batter secured the 38th position with a remarkable climb of 14 spots, achieving a career-best tally of 578 rating points.

The Punjab-born cricketer is expected to retain his place in the lineup for the forthcoming third Test, set to commence at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on February 15. India has yet to announce its squad for the remaining three Test matches.

England and India are currently tied at 1-1 after two Tests in the five-match series. England remains undefeated in the Test series during the Bazball period, securing victories against New Zealand and South Africa at home and a 3-0 win over Pakistan on their away tour.

Also read: Rahul Dravid gave Shubman Gill ultimatum before 2nd Test vs England in Vizag – Reports