Key Points

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.

He also went on to talk about the importance of the often-underappreciated value Ravindra Jadeja brings to the table with his batting skills. Jadeja made 516 runs for India, including hitting five half-centuries and a gritty unbeaten century that helped India draw the fourth Test at Manchester.

“The value of the 516 runs scored by Jadeja increases significantly because, in the first Test match, India suffered two batting collapses. That’s when the contribution of batters at number six and seven becomes crucial — and Ravindra Jadeja’s name naturally comes up, as he occupies that position.”

“After that, there wasn’t a single batting collapse in the rest of the series. The way he batted and the consistency he showed were extremely important for India. What applies to KL Rahul in this regard also applies to Ravindra Jadeja — it’s vital for a senior player to stand up in such moments, and Jadeja has done exactly that in this series,” concluded Patel.

- IANS