Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was full of praise for Shubman Gill, who scored his seventh Test hundred on Wednesday against England at Edgbaston. Shastri observed that Gillโs defensive technique had improved tremendously, helping India post a strong total on day one.
Gill, coming in at number four, played a patient and determined knock, remaining unbeaten on 114 runs off 216 balls, including 12 boundaries. His innings helped India reach 310/5 in 85 overs by stumps. This was his second consecutive Test century since becoming captain, after his impressive 147 at Headingley last week.
“๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ,” ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐.
Gill’s Defence Compared To Virat Kohli’s Technique
Reflecting on Gillโs progress, Shastri said the young batter had worked hard to correct flaws from his previous England tour.
“๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐. ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,” ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ .
He added that Gill was allowing the ball to come to him, trusting his defence, and had every shot when going on the attack.
Shastri also stressed the importance of the 99-run partnership between Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, who was not out on 41 at the close of play. He urged India to consolidate further in the morning session on day two.
“๐ฐ๐’๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,” ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ .
England’s Missed Opportunity And Bowling Effort
Former England captain Nasser Hussain echoed Shastriโs thoughts, emphasizing that India should aim to post a huge total to avoid a repeat of collapses seen at Headingley.
“They should be getting this total up to 450 and beyond tomorrow. My eyes are on India. Can they make up for their mistakes last time?” Hussain remarked.
Hussain also noted that England’s bowlers couldn’t be blamed, given the flat nature of the pitch, though they did let India off the hook before the Gill-Jadeja stand turned the tide.
He also acknowledged the resilience and unity of Englandโs bowling attack under Ben Stokes, despite a demanding workload and injury setbacks.
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