India batter Shubman Gill was under severe scrutiny as he entered the five-Test series against England with a string of low scores.
Before this series, Gill had batted eight Test innings at No. 3 position without scoring a single fifty. He also endured failures in the first three innings against England.
Just when the pressure was mounting on him, Shubman produced a gritty hundred (104) in the second innings of Vizag Test to script India’s 106-run victory.
The right-hander followed it up with a stunning 91 in the second essay of Rajkot Test, enabling India’s 434-run victory that also gave them a 2-1 lead in the series.
Gill then rose to the occasion during the fourth innings of the Ranchi Test, slamming an unbeaten half-century (52) to not only take his home over the line but also seal the series.
High on confidence, Shubman Gill smashed a flawless century on Day 2 of the series finale in Dharamsala. He was severe on both the English pacers and spinners en route to his fourth hundred (110) in the longest format.
Speaking to PTI, Shubman’s first coach and father, Lakhwinder, explained how stepping out to the bowlers again has helped his son to get back among runs in Test cricket.
"Stepping out has made a big difference, he had stopped doing that and that created pressure. Since his U-16 days, he has been stepping out to the spinners and pacers as well to cut the movement," Lakhwinder said.
"The moment you don't play your natural game you are in trouble. The whole game is about confidence, when you get one good innings you are back to your best. Since his U-16 days, he used to make tons of runs," he added.
Gill charged down the track to both spinners and pacers on Friday (March 8), including against the veteran seamer James Anderson.
Shubman Gill may have scored over 400 runs in the ongoing series against England but his father doesn't agree with his decision to bat at No. 3.
"He should have continued to open. It is not right at all I feel. When you sit in dressing room for longer, the pressure tense to increase. Number 3 is not opening neither it is a middle-order spot.
"Plus his game his not like that, it suits the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara who has a defensive game. When the ball is new you get more loose balls, when you come in after 5-7 overs, the ball is still shiny and the bowler is also settled with his length."
"I don't interfere in his decisions. I just train with him. He is old enough to make his own decisions. I made decisions on his behalf only when he was a teenager," Lakhwinder said.
Meanwhile, Lakhwinder endorsed BCCI’s decision to make Ranji Trophy appearances mandatory for India players when they are not national duty.
"The calendar is so busy that he hardly trains for red ball, it is white ball mainly. That is why it gets tougher against spinners with the red ball. It is good that BCCI has taken this step," he remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
