TimesofIndia.com in Leeds: There was a rare outburst of emotion when Shubman Gill’s cover-drive raced through the practice pitches and thudded over the boundary cushions. The helmet was off in a flash; a wild swing of the arm followed as India’s new Test skipper celebrated his hundred on his captaincy debut. It wasn’t an unusual sight, and it certainly was an unusual occasion, so much so that it nearly made the youngster skip his usual bow-down celebration.The hug with his deputy Rishabh Pant was probably the cue to pose for the photographers as the 25-year-old made a very strong statement by scoring a gorgeous hundred at the Headingley Cricket Ground. From the moment he came out to bat, there was a sense of urgency in his approach. That urgency could have cost him his wicket when he went for a tight single off his sixth ball but had the rub of the green on his side, and Ollie Pope missing the stumps gave him an early reprieve.A testing little period followed as England attacked the right-hander’s stumps and probed the corridor just outside the off-stump, but a tight approach and very little help from the surface meant he survived and then cashed in on the fuller length. The hosts kept searching for the glory ball when he walked out to bat, but even the change in length didn’t extract a lot of purchase from the surface and turned out to be easy pickings for the Indian skipper, who put on a masterclass. A gorgeous masterclass.
The cover drives, straight drives, flicks, controlled pulls, and the trademark cuts in front of square were a treat to watch as he grew in confidence with every shot and looked much tighter as the innings progressed. After the initial urgency, there was a lot of calm in the way he approached the innings and put his head down to lay the foundation for a big one.
First with Yashasvi Jaiswal and then with Rishabh Pant, Gill eased into his new No. 4 role and drove the side forward during a very crucial passage of play, as the match was very delicately poised when he came out to bat at the fall of debutant Sai Sudharsan’s wicket. The sun had suddenly disappeared, and another wicket could have put India on the mat even after a terrific opening stand between KL Rahul and Jaiswal.
Gill ensured there was no serious damage and literally walked the pre-match talk where he asserted that he wants to be the best batter in the series. Still early days in what is a very long series, but the Day 1 knock could have easily won a beauty pageant for the most good-looking hundred. There is something about Gill when he is in full flow, as not only does he make shot-making look ridiculously easy, he manages to be a visual delight while doing that.For Gill, the batter, who has been repeatedly questioned for his outings away from home, the hundred in Leeds will give the youngster immense satisfaction and a lot of self-belief before Gill – the captain – takes over.
