During the first Test against Bangladesh, India’s star batters got some much-needed batting practice. Cheteshwar Pujara, in particular, has been in outstanding form, scoring 90 off 203 balls in the first innings and 102 off 130 balls in the second, giving him his first century since January 2019.
However, Pujara was not India’s only centurion in the second innings. On Friday, Shubman Gill, who is opening the innings with stand-in skipper KL Rahul in place of the injured Rohit Sharma, also scored his first Test century. Gill scored 110 off 152 balls as part of a 113-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara, following a 70-run opening stand with KL Rahul.
While Gill has an ODI century, this is his first Test century. He had previously been dismissed in the 90s, when he scored 146 during India’s famous win over Australia at The Gabba in January 2021. “It’s a good thing it came. He had previously missed a couple of opportunities, but I am relieved that this monkey is off his back. He is a world-class player, and I believe he is the next big batter to emerge from the Indian camp after Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill is a three-format player, and I expect to see a lot more good things from him,” said former India opener Wasim Jaffer on ESPNCricinfo.
With Gill’s century and the possibility of Rohit returning for the second Test, India may slot the former into the middle order and sacrifice a spinner, according to Jaffer. “There’s an old adage that when the batters don’t perform, the bowlers get dropped. So I’m guessing one bowler will be replaced and one batter will be added. “We’ll see if one spinner is less in the second Test,” Jaffer said.
Gill, according to Jaffer, will have no trouble adjusting to the middle order. “He has played in the middle order for his state team and he will get used to it. Because you’re used to playing spin, openers being slotted in the middle order isn’t a big deal. When a middle-order player is used as an opener, he is not used to playing the hard new ball on a fresh pitch, which can cause problems. If Gill is assigned to bat at No. 5 or any other position, I believe he will be well suited to do so. When you play longer innings as an opener, you use the old ball and spinners on a wearing pitch. “So I’m confident he’ll adjust quickly,” he said.
