Cricket is a cruel judge of players. Success can get undermined and failures might get blown out of proportion. In the process, the sense of balance goes missing sometimes. What remains in public memory are the black marks, instead of the bright patches, even if the latter outnumber the former.
Shubman Gill’s Test career has witnessed something like that. People say all sorts of things about him, mostly negative, and overlook the good work he is capable of. Nobody mentions that he has made above 800 Test runs in 2024 at an average of 50.31. There are three centuries and two 90-plus scores, other than an unbeaten half-century against England in a nervy fourth-innings chase.
That’s because he is one of those players whose efforts get overshadowed. Although he is a batter of vastly different principles, in this way, Gill is very similar to the person whose place he now occupies in the Test side at No. 3. No matter how many runs he made, Cheteshwar Pujara was never the star. To a lesser extent, Gill gets treated in that manner.
If India win the third Test against New Zealand and avoid a first-ever clean sweep on home soil in series featuring three or more Tests, Gill’s role in that will be immense. He saw through the period of mini turmoil late on the first day when India lost three quick wickets in bizarre fashion. The job of resurrecting the innings was done with him playing the role of the anchor. He provided stability and held things together when things around him were looking vulnerable.
Yet, when we look back at this Test, the focus will most likely be on Rishabh Pant or Ravindra Jadeja. It has to be acknowledged that these two played pivotal roles in reviving Indian fortunes after defeats in the first two Tests. The runs one made or wickets the other took were crucial. That, however, doesn’t mean that Gill’s contribution should be forgotten.
“It’s one of the better knocks that I’ve played in Test cricket” was Gill’s own assessment of this effort on a pitch assisting spin. “Yesterday, there was a bit of panic. But I think this is what Test cricket is all about. There are moments where you think everyone is rattled and then there are moments like this morning when we had a great first hour.”
What Gill didn’t mention and what shouldn’t escape attention was the initial struggle. He looked out of sorts on the first evening and almost everything he tried went haywire. The 25-year-old fought it out by standing his ground. He refused to get dismissed and once that nervy phase was over, he was quick to get into his groove. There was a lucky escape on 45, but these things happen.
Most commendable was his urge to make that luck count. He wanted to put the bowlers under pressure and an inside-out hit over extra-cover early on Day 2 had class written all over. He dominated the spinners and didn’t let them settle into a rhythm. It was important to win this mental battle and once set, Gill won it hands down.
There is a lot more work remaining to be done in this Test match. Given the tendency shown by this batting line-up to collapse in a heap, there is no guarantee that a chase of 150 will be without uneasy moments. If looking for examples, teammates can take a leaf out of Gill’s book in order to finish the job. After that, if he doesn’t get due credit, that will be business as usual.