Boria Majumdar in Birmingham
Wickets were falling at the other end. Rishabh Pant, his vice-captain, had played a reckless shot and given it away. It was a stroke that could have yet again prompted Sunil Gavaskar to say “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” If that wasn’t enough, Nitish Kumar Reddy left an incoming delivery on off stump and was bowled all ends up. At 211-5, England had wrested control. In fact, Shubman Gill looked acutely disappointed when Pant got out, for he knew that India’s chance to seize the initiative might have been lost.
Thereafter, he needed to regroup. He played within himself at times but made sure he did not get out. With Ravindra Jadeja, who has seen these situations many times before, he set about rebuilding India’s innings. England were trying to rush through the overs to get to the second new ball but Gill wasn’t flustered. Every now and then, he would play an exquisite shot, but more importantly, it was an innings of grit and determination. Batting over 200 balls, he made sure his team stayed in the hunt and did not concede the day to England.
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Yes, he was tested at times by Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, and there were a couple of errors in judgment outside the off stump, but at no point did Gill look like throwing it away. That’s what Test cricket is all about. The solid defensive stroke can also be an aggressive act. Not to get out, and not give it away. In Leeds, he was more flamboyant with Pant out there alongside him. Here, he knew he was almost the last man standing, for after him, there was Washington Sundar and the tail. The captain had to be out there for India to have a chance, and he did not disappoint.
With two hundreds in his two Tests as captain, Gill has started his tenure well as a batter. But then, it is not just about batting. Without Jasprit Bumrah, he will need to do everything he can to make sure his team competes. And to do so, he needs more runs. A decent first innings score will bring his two spinners into play in the fourth innings. That’s what Gill will want, and that’s the need of the hour. In the process, a few individual milestones wouldn’t be bad either.
In sum, the work isn’t done yet, but from what we have seen on day one, the captain has indeed stepped up to hold fort.
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