Shubman Gill has lauded the Indian pacers, asserting that the team’s fast bowling has been the differentiating factor between the two sides.
India’s vice-captain and leader of the pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah, will miss the fourth Test in Ranchi as he has been rested for the upcoming game. In Bumrah’s absence, India will be forced to make at least one change, with either Mukesh Kumar or Akash Deep replacing him.
“Jasprit Bumrah has been the leader of our attack, but the way Mohammed Siraj picked those four wickets was very heartening. Our fast bowling has been really good and made the difference,” Gill told reporters in Ranchi on Wednesday. The fourth Test starts from Friday.
After starting his Test career as an opener, Gill has been batting at No. 3 since the omission of Cheteshwar Pujara. In the 14 innings he has batted in that position, Gill has amassed 418 runs at an average of 32.15 with the help of one fifty and a century. Both his fifty-plus scores have come in this series, in a winning cause.
On his experience of batting at No. 3, Gill said: “I have played at No. 3 for India A and in Ranji in the past. It wasn’t something new. I didn’t make any technical changes. As an opener, you set the tone and don’t get time to think. But in the middle order, it’s more about playing as per the situation.”
Indian batters fared well in the Rajkot Test, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a double hundred and Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scoring hundreds. Gill, who missed out on a century in the last Test, said that the team management has asked batters to get “big hundreds” once they’re set.
“Almost every player got a start in the first Test. The talk within the change room after that game was to have big hundreds from batters who get their eye in. It’s difficult on Day 4 or Day 5 for any team,” said Gill.