Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes Test skipper Shubman Gill answered all challenges and questions through his prolific run-scoring spree during the recently drawn Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England. Gill’s first assignment as India’s Test captain ended in the visitors’ forcing the scoreline to be at 2-2 in the five-match series in England. He was also the leading run scorer in the series, finishing with a whopping 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including hitting four centuries and was adjudged as India’s Player of the Series.
“Four centuries, an average of 75.40, and more than 750 runs — all scored across different conditions. Earlier, when he walked out to bat, there were questions: Will he be able to perform in the SENA countries? Can he deliver consistently? But look at the answers he’s given. 147 runs in the first innings at Headingley.
“In the second innings, people said he threw his wicket away after that big score. Then came 269 runs in the first innings at Edgbaston. Again, the talk was that it might prove to be less, but he followed it up with 161 in the second innings.”
“In the third Test, he got out early in both innings, and questions about his form began again, even though he had already scored 430 runs in the previous match. And then came that hundred in Manchester, in a match India needed to draw. Whenever there’s been a challenge, whenever questions have been asked, Gill has answered them perfectly with his bat,” said Patel on JioHotstar.
