'I was like, wow, this is unreal man': R Ashwin recalls Shubman Gill's words during MCG Test
- In a conversation with India batting coach Vikram Rathour on his Youtube channel, off-spinner R Ashwin recalled an incident involving Gill from the Melbourne Test which left him impressed.
Shubman Gill has become one of the most-talked-about batsmen after his exploits in India's successful series against Australia. Gill scored 259 runs in 3 Tests in the series at an average of 51.80. His innings of 91 runs in the Brisbane Test set up the chase for India on the final day at Gabba.
In a conversation with India batting coach Vikram Rathour on his Youtube channel, off-spinner R Ashwin recalled an incident involving Gill from the Melbourne Test which left him impressed.
Gill was making his debut in the Test, and he immediately showcased his talent as he scored 45 runs in the first innings after his opening partner Mayank Agarwal was dismissed in the first over.
During the 2nd innings, India found themselves in a prime position as Australia were losing quick wickets, and it seemed like the visitors would be having an easy target in front of them. Ashwin recalled how Gill came up to him to tell him to bowl out Australia quickly so that he can score the winning runs in 5 overs.
"I am a big fan of Shubman Gill's batting. Even in the Melbourne Test, this is an incident I wanted to share. We were bowling and the wicket got flat. We were bowling to Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and they were showing resistance," Ashwin recalled.
"And Cameron Green was caught at square leg off a pull and Shubman came running to me and said, "Ash bhai, Jaldi khatam kar do yaar! 40-50 runs hoga toh mein paanch over mein khatam karoonga! (Please wrap up quickly. If it’s 40-50 runs to chase, I will do it in five overs!)," Ashwin further said.
"I was like, ‘wow, this is unreal man'. We have a debutant who is walking up to say ‘khatam karo, finish it’ and I will finish in five overs and that too in a Test match," Ashwin said laughing.
Rathour further praised Gill describing him as a special player. The India batting coach further recalled that the youngster had started preparing for the Australia tour even during the lockdown.
“I had called for discussions with all the batsmen during the lockdown. With other batters, we came up with plans, talked about what the bowlers might bowl at them, and worked out plans. But Gill had already sorted that out.
"The first thing he said was he was already practicing short ball as he was thinking about the Australian tour. He was telling me what he thought about Lyon, what are his plans going to be … That kind of clarity is unique when you know what you are going to do. He is a special player," he said.