Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has praised Shubman Gill after the young India captain scored his second consecutive century against England in the ongoing second Test at Edgbaston.
On a day when the team management faced criticism for their selection decisions and India suffered two early collapses, Gill led from the front with a calm and classy knock that earned widespread acclaim.
India were asked to bat first and lost wickets at regular intervals. KL Rahul (2), Karun Nair (31), Rishabh Pant (25), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1) couldn’t capitalise on their starts. Yashasvi Jaiswal, in fine form, scored 87 but threw his wicket away with a loose shot. Amid the chaos, Gill stood tall, combining solid defence with elegant stroke-play to steady the innings.
“Gill’s Performance Was Superb” – Ravi Shastri
Speaking to Sky Sports, Shastri highlighted the technical improvements in Gill’s game that have made a big impact in this series.
“Gill’s performance was superb. It was disciplined, he looked solid, looked fantastic. He has worked hard on his defence. When he last came to England, he played with hard hands, pushed at the ball, but now, the top hand is in control. He allows the ball to come to him, trusts in his defence and has all the shots in the book when he goes on the attack,” Shastri said.
Gill remained unbeaten on 114 off 216 balls, including 12 boundaries. He was well supported by Ravindra Jadeja, who was not out on 41 at stumps. The pair guided India to 310 for 5 by the end of Day 1, putting the visitors in a strong position.
With this knock, the 25-year-old Gill became only the fifth Indian batter to score a Test century at Edgbaston.
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