Gargi Raut in Delhi
“I want to be the best batter with the most runs in the series, ” said a 25 year-old Shubman Gill in his first press conference at Headingley ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. When asked about how he was planning to balance his leadership duties with his batting responsibilities, he replied: “When I am a captain, I don’t think about batting. When I am batting, I don’t think about captaincy.” India’s young, new captain seems to have nailed the dichotomy of the two identities and while history suggests that many crumble under the weight of captaincy, Gill is only flourishing with the added authority.
On a pleasant morning in the capital, Gill brought up his fifth Test century as the Indian captain, tenth of his career. A streak worthy of immense praise. The ever-charming boy from Punjab completed his century in style, no flashy shots, no rash judgment, rather immense control over his innings, one that is easy on the eye. He has taken to captaincy like a fish to water, leading from the front and stepping up when the team needs him the most, almost as if he was waiting for a switch to get into the fifth gear.
To reminisce about the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, after India lost the first Test match at Leeds, Gill was probed about the lower-order’s lean contribution with the bat. He replied: “I should have scored 50 more runs,” after his 147 (227).
It is clear that he has become a better batter after taking up the captaincy, an art that he may have learnt from his idol, Virat Kohli. It was a flawless innings for Gill at Arun Jaitley Stadium, as the skipper completed his second run, he lifted his bat and raised his cap to the Delhi crowd.
By the end of the second session, West Indies racked up 25 runs, with the loss of only one wicket. Sai Sudarshan held on to a brilliant catch after Tagenarine Chanderpul sweeped one onto Sai who was fielding at forward short leg. Unfortunately, Sai had to leave the field after the catch, as he injured his right hand.
Earlier in the day, India declared on 518/5, and Gill returned 129 not out (196). The other highlight was Yashasvi Jaiswal who scored a brilliant 175 (258). He was cruising through his innings until a mix-up with the skipper turned into an unfortunate run-out. Jaiswal called for a run and Gill was watching the ball.