close_game
close_game

Shubman Gill ditches Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant sacrifice to 'bring out the best'; new India role awaits: 'Exciting…'

Jan 26, 2025 08:50 AM IST

Shubman Gill was the only one among the several specialist India Test batters to feature in Ranji Trophy, who produced an innings of substance

An international season that began with great promise went steadily pear-shaped for Shubman Gill, his travails outside the sub-continent mercilessly exposed in the Test series in Australia. Gill redeemed himself after a first-innings duck against Bangladesh in Chennai with an unbeaten 119 in the second dig in September, but in the subsequent six Tests, he had only one further innings of 40 or more. In Australia, his sequence of scores was 31 and 28 (pink-ball Test, Adelaide), 1 (Brisbane) and 20 and 13 (Sydney).

Punjab's captain Shubman Gill celebrates his century on the third day of a Ranji Trophy cricket match between Karnataka and Punjab, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru(PTI)
Punjab's captain Shubman Gill celebrates his century on the third day of a Ranji Trophy cricket match between Karnataka and Punjab, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru(PTI)

Gill was one of several specialist Test batters who featured in the penultimate round of league matches in the Ranji Trophy, but the only one to produce an innings of substance, a flowing second-innings 102 for Punjab in a losing cause against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The knock was quintessential Gill – watchful for the first half, subsequently strokefully incandescent once he got a measure of the conditions and a potent attack spearheaded by Prasidh Krishna.

In other parts of the country, his Test colleagues floundered. Rohit Sharma made 3 and 28 and Yashasvi Jaiswal 4 and 26 as Mumbai slumped to a shock five-wicket loss to Jammu & Kashmir, Rishabh Pant managed only 1 and 17 in Delhi’s 10-wicket hammering at the hands of Saurashtra and Devdutt Padikkal contributed 27 in Karnataka’s impressive 475. Gill came away with his reputation enhanced. In the first innings, he was undone by left seam movement back into the right-hander from left-arm pacer Abhilash Shetty. But after his team conceded a decisive 420-run deficit, Gill was in his elements in the second, playing close to his body, hitting the ball crisply, putting the bad balls away.

Unlike Rohit and Pant who chose to play under Ajinkya Rahane and Ayush Badoni respectively, Gill was happy to assume a leadership role because ‘it keeps you in the game all the time’. “As a person, I like to be involved in the game and what is happening. It brings out the best in me as a player when I am constantly involved in the game.”

Gill has been named Rohit’s deputy for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy in Dubai next month, an honour he clearly relishes. “It’s definitely very exciting,” he smiles. “It is a big responsibility; coming into this role, it is very important to not just perform as a batsman but have an all-round mindset towards the game.”

Gill's ton shows significance of domestic cricket

Having already led India in T20Is (in Zimbabwe in July) and assumed the role of the vice-captain on the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in July-August, the right-hander is being groomed for greater responsibilities. He spoke like a leader as he reflected on the significance of playing domestic cricket and the need to balance that with time away from competitive action to focus on certain issues that need addressing.

“Whenever there is a chance, we must (play domestic cricket), but keep in mind that there is enough of a gap between the match and the next series you are going to play,” he notes. “If there is enough gap, 15-20 days, it is very helpful to play a match because it feels different, no matter how much you practice. When you play at any level, there are certain aspects of your game that are challenged.”

But even when one isn’t playing, it’s not as if there is a complete break from the game. Players might take a day or three off to refresh mentally, then return to the drawing board to address prickly areas they feel need undivided attention. “When I say rest, it is not just resting,” he clarifies. “Sometimes, there are certain areas in your game that you have to work on. When you are playing, it is difficult to do that.

“If you have that period, you work on that. It is important to grow as a player; when you say you are resting, you are not only resting, you are also practicing, training. When you are training, you are trying to build more muscle. When you are practicing, you are trying to work on certain areas. That is very important because if you keep playing, you are not really able to work on the areas that you want to work on, be it physically or mentally.”

Over the next month and a bit, Gill will have the chance to put his Test disappointments behind him and enjoy a return to international white-ball play. He averages 58.20 from 47 ODIs at a strike-rate of 101.74. If he can replicate those numbers, India will be on to a good thing at the Champions Trophy. Then, the value of this 102 will become even more amplified.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
See More
ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On