New Delhi, August 5
'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar had effusive praise in store for India captain Shubman Gill, who lived up to the expectations while bearing the burden of performing on the spot that he used to come out on during his playing days.
While dissecting Gill's prolific run-scoring form in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Sachin handpicked the "most important" thing that he noticed during the 25-year-old's technical prowess.
From Leeds to London, Gill's robust technique stole the show and made headlines for changing historical records on numerous occasions. He pulled the curtains down on his stellar campaign as the leading run-getter with a whopping tally of 754 at 75.40.
Gill made subtle changes to his technique, with the most prominent being bringing his bat ahead of his pads on several occasions. He even made a couple of tweaks in his footwork to give himself more time to play his desired shot, which were at the forefront of his four blistering tons in England.
"Shubman Gill batted brilliantly throughout the series. He looked calm, composed and organised. When it comes to quality batting, you gotta have a clear head and game plan on building innings. He was extremely consistent in his thought process, and it was evident in his footwork. When your head is not clear, your body does not respond properly. But his body was, he looked so much in control. He had so much time to play the ball, and the footwork was precise," Sachin said in a video posted on his account on Reddit.
Gill silenced the critics who questioned his ability to thrive in the uncharted overseas conditions in the number four spot, which was previously held by stalwarts Sachin and Virat Kohli. At Edgbaston, a venue where India hadn't savoured success, Gill notched his career-best, a marathon 269 to pave the way for India's maiden Test win on the ground. According to Tendulkar, Gill's shot selection and the knack of respecting a "good ball" was a routine that he followed consistently across the five Tests.
"The most important thing I noticed was respect for a good ball, where the tendency is sometimes to push the ball on the front foot, even when it is not close to your foot. He was able to defend so well on the front foot. He did it so consistently. His front-foot defence and leaving abilities were solid. Shot selection was good and precise," he added.
In his first Test captaincy assignment, Gill led his side to a famous 2-2 draw against England. His next assignment will be two Tests against the West Indies at home, scheduled to be held in October this year.
- ANI
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