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As Team India prepares for the third Test of the series against Australia at Brisbane, a lot of eyes will be on the young India batter Shubman Gill, who was launched into stardom during his Test debut series Down Under back in 2020-21, with his list of exploits also including a memorable knock which helped India seal an inspiring series win.
Heading into the third Test, the series is level at 1-1. After a loss to India by 295 runs at Perth's Optus Stadium, the hosts bounced back magnificently with a 10-wicket win in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, where the star-studded Indian line-up failed and the dominance of pink-ball maestros Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins was evident throughout the match. The last time Gill came to Australia, Gill was the third-highest run-getter for India with 259 runs in three matches at an average of 51.80, with two fifties in six innings. His best score of 91, which is regarded as his best Test knock, came during a testing run chase of 328 runs at the same venue, which helped India secure a series win and hand Aussies their first Test defeat at the venue in over 32 years. This knock made Gill a regular member of Test team almost immediately. Despite his scores not being as consistent for next two years, the young batter was given chances at the top consistently. A move to number three in batting order as a replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara and a home series against England earlier this year helped bring some consistency and attraction to his batting numbers. Gill admitted that the England series raised his confidence and has carried over this form to Brisbane. In 11 Tests this year, Gill has scored 865 runs in 21 innings at an average of 45.52, with three centuries and three fifties each. In the last Adelaide Test, which came after missing the first Test due to injury, Gill did get fine starts but could not capitalise on them, with his stays cut short at 31 and 28 by pacers Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc. Fine starts but no capitalisation. Inconsistency. Throwing away the wicket. These are some phrases that define Gill's game in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) conditions after that iconic knock of 91. Since that Gabba Test, Gill has played six Tests in SENA conditions, but scored just 221 runs in 12 innings at an average of 18.41, with his best score being just 36. His scores in SENA conditions after that Gabba Test have been: 28 and 8 (during the World Test Championship final 2021 against New Zealand), 17 and 4 (against England in July 2022), 13 and 18 (during the World Test Championship final 2023 against Australia), 2, 26, 36, 10 (during the tour to South Africa) and 31 and 28 against Australia in the second Test. Atleast half of these innings have featured Gill starting out patiently, playing some beautiful drives, but losing his wicket abruptly, either to an exceptional ball or due to poor shot selection. The youngster has a fine home record, with 1,177 runs in 17 matches and 31 innings at an average of 42.03, with four centuries and five fifties and best score of 128. However, away from home, he has made just 615 runs at an average of 32.36, with just one century and two fifties in 21 innings and best score of 110. Will Gill step up and finally deliver a quality knock in SENA conditions which will bolster his batting resume? Only time will tell. Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal. (ANI)
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