In a sensational Test series win in Australia that was so much about skill and resilience of the fresh faces, it was also about delivering on promise for 21-year-old Shubman Gill. Spoken of as a special talent since India’s 2018 U-19 World Cup win in New Zealand, his debut came in Melbourne with the team reeling from the collapse in Adelaide for 36.
The opener’s assuredness and stroke-play against the world’s best bowling attack confirmed his talent and his 91 off 146 balls, and a 114-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara over 39.4 overs, on the final day set up the Brisbane Test triumph. Gill got a start in five of six innings, and hit two fifties. He faced 427 balls—only Pujara (928) and Ajinkya Rahane (562) played more—and scored 259 runs in three Tests, close to Rishabh Pant (274), Pujara (271) and Rahane (268).
Impressed with Pant’s attacking style of batting, Gill lavished praise on the wicket-keeper batsman for winning India the game and said the left-hander is his hero and the go-to-person in the Indian team.
“The team was aiming for a win. The way Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur played in the first innings was outstanding. We got a good start in the second innings. The way Cheteshwar Pujara paaji took the blows was so inspiring. Thereafter, Rishabh Pant played an amazing brand of cricket,” Gill was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times as he described India’s stunning win in the Brisbane Test.
“We all were egging him on from the dressing room. He is my hero and also my go-to person in the team. Hats off to him for his stunning 89—despite an injury (97 at the SCG braving a painful elbow), he made batting look easy,” he added. Pant finished the series as India’s highest run-getter with 274 runs from 3 matches.
India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second straight time in Australia’s backyard as Ajinkya Rahane & Co. scripted history Down Under.
