Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai
First, some hard numbers… 104, 91, 52 not out and 119 not out. These are Shubman Gill’s scores in the second innings of Test matches this year. Four consecutive fifty-plus scores with two of them ending in a hundred attest the young batter’s love affair with the second innings.
Ever since he has cemented his place at No. 3, at the expense of Cheteshwar Pujara, Gill has scored 478 runs in nine innings at an average of 79.66 in the second dig. Is he a second innings specialist? The question has to be asked.
There’s a perception that batting in the second innings is relatively easier. The pitch loses its freshness and if a team has taken a good first innings lead, then there’s no scoreboard pressure either. This, however, is not always the case.
Rewind to the second Test between India and England in Vizag earlier this year. The hosts had lost the first Test and were under pressure to win the second to level the series. Without Gill’s 104, India probably couldn’t have slammed the door shut on the tourists. The second-highest score in that innings was Axar Patel’s 45.
In the fourth Test in Ranchi, India were under serious pressure on a wearing pitch. At 120/5, with more than 70 runs needed for victory, it was anybody’s game. Gill’s 52 not out and his unbroken 72-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel proved to be game-defining.
The pressure was on Bangladesh, as Gill scored his fifth Test century at Chepauk on Saturday. On Day 3, the seam movement off the deck had died down, the bowling was innocuous and India already had a big first innings lead. Still, the application from Gill was praiseworthy.
He didn’t try to impose himself on the opposition bowlers, respected the good deliveries and eyed a big knock. In the first innings, he fell prey to a soft dismissal, getting out for a duck to a tickle down the leg side. The second innings presented Gill with a chance to have quality batting time under his belt. He made full use of the opportunity. The highlight of his innings was the way he minimised the chance factor and still moved at a decent pace. Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled almost unchanged from one end in the morning session, and whenever the off-spinner erred in his line or length, Gill punished him. Three sixes attested his intent.
Nimble footwork is one of Gill’s strengths while facing the spinners. “Yeah, actually it’s something that I started practicing when I was very young, because I was always a tall guy, so it was easier for me to be able to use my feet and play along the ground,” he told reporters after the day’s play. “Playing in the air and hitting sixes actually came a bit later when I got a little bit more power in my body. But initially when I used to practice, especially against spinners, it used to be a lot more me stepping down trying to rotate because it’s then hard for bowlers to settle on a wicket like this where the odd one is turning but not all the ball is turning.”
Gill is the future of Indian batting. He has been given vice-captaincy in all three formats. Maybe, it’s time for him to replicate his second innings consistency in first innings. In Australia, India might not have the luxury to go into second innings with match-winning leads. A No. 3 batter is expected to stamp his authority when the challenge is tougher.
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