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Ravi Shastri declares, 'Shubman Gill batted like Bradman when India were 1-0 down. What more do you want?'
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and 161 at Edgbaston against England. Ravi Shastri praised Gill's batting and captaincy, comparing him to Don Bradman.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said India captain Shubman Gill batted like Don Bradman in the second Test against England at Edgbaston. There was a lot of pressure on Shubman Gill, who, despite scoring a 147 in the first Test at Headingley, couldn't lead India to victory. In the second Test, however, Gill broke multiple records with 269 in the first innings and then followed it up with 161 in the second to help India register their biggest-ever away win by 336 runs.
Shastri gave Gill full marks for his batting and captaincy and said that he reminded him of the legendary former Australia batter Don Bradman, who still has the best average (99.94) in the history of Test cricket.
"The best by a captain. 10 out of 10," Shastri said in a Sky Sports podcast that also featured former England captains Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and former India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. "I mean, you can't ask for anything more from a captain. You are 1-0 down in the series, you come out there and you bat like Bradman. 268 (269) and a 161 and you ended up winning the game.
"Your captaincy was very reactive in the first Test. You followed the ball. But you were very proactive in the next game. You might have just unearthed the best seamer for English conditions in this Indian line-up by picking Akash Deep, who will trouble England as this series progresses," Shastri added.
Gill lit up the contest with a maiden double century, amassing 269 in India’s first innings—a new record for an Indian captain in England, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 254*. His elegant knock, spanning 387 balls and studded with 30 fours and 3 sixes, took India to a formidable 587. Additionally, he smashed numerous records, including becoming the first Asian captain to hit a double ton in England.
Gill continued his onslaught in the second innings, scoring a fluent 161 off 162 balls, pushing his match aggregate to 430 runs—the second-highest by a visiting player in Tests. India declared at 427/6, setting England a monumental target of 608. Pacer Akash Deep then picked up six wickets in the second innings to back his four in the first, to bowl England out for 271.
Ravi Shastri's first impression of Shubman Gill
Shastri narrated how he fast-tracked Gill into the Indian side after he had a terrific U19 World Cup in 2019. Shastri was the head coach of the Indian side when Gill made his debut in 2019.
"I saw him in the nets. Raghu (Raghavendra, India's throwdown specialist) bowls at 160 in the nets. He bounces the batters. This guy (Shubman Gill) was just whacking him. I have not seen an Indian player pulling in that fashion, Kohli, yes. After Kohli, this fellow. This guy used to watch Kohli very closely. Whatever he did, how he trained and everything else. I remember telling my batting coach, Vikram Rathour, who is from Punjab. I called him and said, "Who's that guy? Bring him in the mix immediately." We spoke to the selectors and got him in the side. He had done well in U19 but the first time I saw him, I said, 'This is class'. I've seen Sachin Tendulkar, who caught the imagination immediately. Kohli, of course, when he captained and played and then this bloke. When I saw him for the first time, was class," Shastri added.
