Alastair Cook, a former England captain, showered the young player with plaudits after being impressed by his knock.
Shubman Gill, India’s premier hitter, finally got the monkey off his back after blasting a superb century against England on the third day of the ongoing second Test. It was his third Test century and first in 12 innings since March 2023. Gill achieved the century mark with a single against rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir, and he hoisted his bat to a delighted Sunday crowd. He must be relieved after the ton, considering his Test form has been quite terrible recently.
Former England captain Alastair Cook was impressed by the youngster’s knock and praised him. He also stated that India wants Gill to fill the shoes of batting legend Virat Kohli.
“Gill delivered an excellent performance. He has incredible potential… and there was certainly a lot of strain on him. “At the World Cup [in India], all the billboards were of Kohli, but he’s the next one they want to step into his shoes,” Cook told TNT Sports, as reported by India Today.
“Having the weight of a country the size of India on your shoulders is a huge responsibility. As a young talent, Tendulkar and Kohli have coped with it, and he must now learn to deal with it,” he said.
Gill batted efficiently with his flicks and drives until his dismissal, but he had two fortunate escapes on four, both tight LBW calls and one successfully reviewed.
After trying a reverse sweep, he was dismissed by England spinner Shoaib Bashir after being caught behind. The umpire rejected the dismissal, but replays revealed that the ball had just touched the batsman’s glove before wicketkeeper Ben Foakes made a superb catch.
With the help of two sixes and eleven fours, Gill amassed 104 runs in 147 balls. His strike rate was 70.75 percent.We have witnessed his talent and shots today, and we will undoubtedly see him for the remainder of this series. Though he wasn’t playing well and hadn’t amassed many runs, Cook added that he had ensured that the selectors couldn’t ignore him going forward, especially with Rahul and Kohli set to return to the team.
