3 takeaways from Shubman Gill's maiden Test hundred
Indian opener Shubman Gill brought up his maiden Test century on Day 3 of the ongoing Test between India and Bangladesh. He scored 110 runs off 152 deliveries, with 10 fours and three sixes to his name.
The first hundred in a test is always special for any batter. Doing it in the most challenging format of the game always makes them a lot more satisfied. Regardless of the opponent and match situation, it is something that they cherish and hold in extremely high regard.
Let's take a look at the three takeaways from Shubman Gill's first Test century.
#1 Monkey off the back
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Shubman Gill is one of the finest young talents produced by India in the recent past. He made his debut at the MCG in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21. He played a crucial role in India's iconic series victory. However, his form tapered off a bit after that tour.
It took Gill 23 innings to reach his maiden century. Prior to this, his highest score was 91 against Australia on Day 5 of the Gabba Test. To give better context to his career numbers, one must factor in the quality of bowling attacks and the conditions he had to face early in his career.
He revealed that he talked about not being able to score a hundred with Virat Kohli in an interview after the day's play. Now that he is off the mark, Indian fans will be hoping that he scores many more hundreds in Test cricket.
#2 Gill has excellent technique against spin bowling
Shubman Gill has a near-perfect technique against spinners, particularly in red-ball cricket. He is solid defensively and also possesses an attacking game. In this innings, he scored 64 runs against spinners at a strike rate of nearly 70; left-arm spinner Taijul Islam conceded 31 runs, while off-spinner Mehidy conceded 33 runs.
This is not a one-off. The 23-year-old has even dominated Nathan Lyon, one of the best finger spinners of this generation, on his debut in foreign conditions. He looks adept and versatile against all types of spinners.
The Gujarat Titans batter seems to have all the shots in the book: the sweep, reverse sweep, paddle sweep, square cut, and lofted drives against spin bowlers. He has all the tools to succeed as a Test batsman in Asian conditions.
#3 Made a strong case for himself to retain a spot for the next Test
Rohit Sharma is likely to be available for the 2nd Test. (Source - Sports Tak)
India captain Rohit Sharma is reported to be returning for the next match of the series. This will cause a selection dilemma as Shreyas Iyer has made all his opportunities count, KL Rahul is the vice-captain, and Shubman Gill has scored a hundred in this Test. It will be interesting to see who misses out.
However, the Punjab youngster has definitely not made it easy for the management to bench him anymore. The management can rest Rohit or Rahul, depending on the scenario, and slot him into the playing XI for the next game.