Shubman Gill had to fight outside noise and inside noise both during the IND vs ENG Test series. He was not getting runs in Tests after setting the stage alight in ODIs. He was almost dropped from the squad. Had it not been for injury to KL Rahul and Virat Kohli’s absence, Shubman would have been out. But he has proven all his doubters wrong, showing nerves of steel. He played a patient knock of 52 off 124 balls to guide India to win in IND vs ENG Ranchi Test after the hosts were reduced to 120/5 in 192-run chase.
In fact, Shubman Gill was so patient throughout his innings, he only hit a boundary after playing 120 balls.
“We were put under pressure by them. But we got a good start by our openers, losing couple of wickets put pressure. But Jurel came out and took the pressure off. You have to see the situation and play accordingly – they were bowling well and protecting the boundaries, also not giving maidens and keep picking the singles was the mindset,” Shubman Gill explained.
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Shubman Gill-Dhruv Jurel stand
As Indian fans thought the match had slipped away from India’s hands, it was Dhruv Jurel who did not let it go. With Shubman Gill, he kept rotating strikes, not caring for boundaries. In fact, in his 77-ball 39-run knock, Jurel had only two boundaries.
“I just told Jurel you batted beautifully in the first innings and to have the same mindset try to use the feet to negate the off-spinner. The way he came down and played was beautiful,” Shubman Gill said.