The prolific opener, who is being anointed as the next big superstar of Indian cricket, will hope to carry his IPL form to The Oval...
Shubman Gill is the flavour of the season. No one ever doubted his class but over the last two months of the IPL, he has suddenly hit a different level. All the attention is now firmly on Gill and the cricket world is ready to present him as Virat Kohli's heir apparent.
A decade ago, Kohli took over the mantle from Sachin Tendulkar. While Kohli's ODI performances in the early 2010s had a major role in that, the Delhi boy's biggest test came in red-ball cricket. Kohli was desperate to take over that No. 4 slot and once Tendulkar retired, in the first Test that he played - against South Africa in Johannesburg - Kohli smashed 119 and 96 to end the debate once and for all.
Kohli is still far from being retired but now is the moment of transition. If Gill has to truly become the claimant of the 'king of Indian cricket' title, he has to recreate his T20 magic in Test matches. Not that he hasn't shown flashes of it already, but come the World Test Championship final at the Oval from June 7, the arc lights will really be on him.
Gill's job could be slightly more difficult than what it was for Kohli all those years ago, for the simple reason that the Punjab boy is an opener. The chance of failure while opening the batting in red-ball cricket is higher than if you're coming at No. 4 or 5, especially when the Test is being played on English soil.
Though the Oval pitch isn't the most treacherous in England, we shouldn't forget that this is early summer. The pitch will be fresh and with a bit of cloud cover, there is bound to be movement. And with the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in operation, Gill will have his task cut out.
1/10:WTC Final: Acid test for Shubman Gill
ANI
2/10:Shubman Gill
<p>No one ever doubted Shubman Gill's class but over the last two months of the IPL, he has suddenly hit a different level. </p>ANI
3/10:The heir apparent
<p>All the attention is now firmly on Gill and the cricket world is ready to present him as Virat Kohli's heir apparent. </p>ANI
4/10:The mantle
<p>A decade ago, Kohli took over the mantle from Sachin Tendulkar. </p>TNN
5/10:The red ball test
<p>While Kohli's ODI performances in the early 2010s had a major role in that, his biggest test came in red-ball cricket. </p>Getty Images
6/10:From Sachin to Virat
<p>Once Tendulkar retired, in the first Test that he played - against South Africa in Johannesburg - Kohli smashed 119 and 96. </p>Getty Images
7/10:The transition
<p>Kohli is still far from being retired but now is the moment of transition. </p>PTI
8/10:From IPL to WTC
<p>If Gill has to truly become the claimant of the 'king of Indian cricket' title, he has to recreate his T20 magic in Test matches. </p>ANI
9/10:All eyes on Gill
<p>Not that Gill hasn't shown flashes of it already, but come the World Test Championship final at the Oval from June 7, the arc lights will really be on him.</p>Getty Images
10/10:Opening in England
<p>Gill's job could be slightly more difficult than what it was for Kohli all those years ago, for the simple reason that the Punjab boy is an opener. </p>Getty ImagesThe batting superstar is going to England after playing two months of continuous T20 cricket on pitches which are not even close to being as responsive as they are in England. The entire mindset will be different and Gill's first task will be to flick a switch and get into Test mode.
"This generation of cricketers is used to it. The only thing that Gill needs to do is curb the adrenaline rush that is part and parcel of T20 cricket. He will get a few practice sessions and the maturity that he has, it should not be a major problem," former India batter WV Raman told TOI.
Raman, in fact, doesn't buy the idea that too cricket ahead of a Test match of this magnitude will be detrimental to Gill's chances. "When you had an IPL as successful as Gill's, it leaves you in a superb mind space. Cricket, at the end of the day, is a mental game and when a player is positive in his thought process, the chances of success are much higher," the renowned coach added.
Another factor that's bound to work in Gill's favour is his past success against Australia. During the iconic Gabba Test match in 2021 which India won, the right-hander's 91 in the second innings was an exhibition of supreme batsmanship that set India on the way on the final day. It's been a while since then. Gill has had his ups and downs in Tests but at the back of his mind, he will know that he has done the job successfully against these bowlers in the same format.
Importantly, the 23-year-old has worked on his batting as well, and that has made his technique tighter in Test cricket. Earlier, he had the habit of playing away from his body, and that sometimes brought about his downfall.
Raman feels Gill has worked on his trigger movement, which should stand him in good stead. "He has curbed his exaggerated trigger movement and that has allowed him to have a lot more stability and balance at the crease. His head is a lot steadier, which enables him to judge the line and length of the delivery better," Raman explained.
While all this should work in Gill's favour, the presence of captain Rohit Sharma at the other end too should take the pressure off him. Rohit had a superb England tour in 2021 and his guidance and input can work wonders for the young cricketer as he strives to make a mark for himself and help India win an ICC trophy after a decade's drought.
