“He was playing for his place and for saving the country as well”

Pragyan Ojha has lauded Shubman Gill for overcoming immense pressure and scoring a century in India’s second innings of the second Test against England.

Gill scored 104 runs off 147 deliveries in India’s second-innings total of 255 on Day 3 in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, February 4. England ended the day at 67/1 in pursuit of a 399-run target.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ojha praised Gill for rising to the occasion while playing for his place in the XI and when the hosts were in a spot of bother. He elaborated:

“The biggest thing was the way he handled pressure. Your body reacts based on how much confidence your mind gives you. He managed himself very well. He had to do two things. He was playing for his place and for saving the country as well, the situation was like that.”

The former India spinner noted that the stylish batter scored runs all around the park.

“He played shots all around the park. A complete batter can attack in all directions, in front of and behind the wickets. He scored a slightly higher percentage of runs on the leg side because the game plan was also like that,” Ojha said.

Ojha added that Gill proved the naysayers who were questioning his decision to bat at No. 3 wrong. He stated:

“Overall, he played on the merit of the ball and scored runs. He had accepted a challenge and had to show what he could do. The way he answered the questions that were being raised showed the grit in his batting.”

Gill requested the team management for the No. 3 position at the start of India’s tour of the West Indies. Before his hundred on Sunday, the right-hander hadn’t even scored a fifty in his previous 11 innings at the position.

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“It showed that he is extremely determined” – Owais Shah on Shubman Gill’s celebration after his century

Owais Shah opined that Shubman Gill’s mild celebration after reaching his hundred reflected his determination. He said:

“If you see his celebration, it showed that he is extremely determined, because he didn’t celebrate too much. I felt he wanted to tell the world that he has just started off and hasn’t achieved anything big.”

The former England batter added that Gill wants to silence everyone by proving that No. 3 is his position and that he can only do that by scoring runs.