India captain Shubman Gill delivered yet another masterclass with the bat, scoring a magnificent 161 in the second innings of the ongoing second Test against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.This followed his marathon 269-run knock in the first innings, making him the first player in the 148-year history of Test cricket to record a 250 and a 150 in the same match. His aggregate of 430 runs in the game puts him in rarefied air, with only Graham Gooch having scored more (456) in a single Test.Former India cricketer and commentator Dinesh Karthik, speaking on Sky Sports, was full of praise for the 25-year-old, likening Gill’s emergence to the transitions Indian cricket saw with Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli at No. 4.
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“Giving him captaincy was something that was talked about a lot,” Karthik said. “The one thing that always was spoken about was Shubman Gill needs to get runs away from India. He’s got the talent, but the statistics so far didn’t quite back that. This series has been everything he needed. He’s walking into hallowed turf. Batting at number four – you had legends over decades: Tendulkar and then Kohli. Today, it is Shubman Gill. Those are big shoes to fill, and the way he’s walked in and taken charge along with captaincy has been the best part of this series from an Indian standpoint.”
Gill’s calm demeanour at the crease was also a point of discussion.“He just looks serene, unhurried,” said fellow commentator Mark Butcher, who asked Karthik if anything had changed in Gill’s approach. Karthik noted the technical adjustments.“He’s worked on getting his bat in front of his pads, especially against the ball coming back in – something that used to trouble him,” Karthik said. “He’s mentioned working on his technique before the England tour, and it’s showing. The pitches may not be bowler-friendly, but more than technique, it’s his mental fortitude and hunger for big runs that stands out.”With India in command and Gill rewriting record books, the Edgbaston Test might just be remembered as the one where a new Indian legend fully arrived.
