IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill Ends 11-month Drought With a Fighting Century Against England to Regain Form

Young batting star Shubman Gill regained his form and ended his rough patch in red-ball cricket with a fighting century against England in the first Test match at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. Shubman, who was under the scanners after failure in the first innings, scored a 132-ball century in the second to silence his critics.

The 24-year-old batted with control and played his shots on loose deliveries to put India in a commanding position with a lead of over 350 runs.

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Shubman was going through a lean patch in Test cricket over the past few months as his last red-ball century came in March 2023 against Australia in Ahmedabad – 13 innings – since he last breached the mark.

After reaching the mark with an easy single off Shoaib Bashir’s bowling, Shubman didn’t show any sign of aggression in his celebration as he just put his helmet off and looked to the heavens.

The 24-year-old played with controlled aggression and hit 11 fours and 2 sixes to reach the triple-figure mark for the third time in his Test career.

Gill and Shreyas Iyer, both struggling for runs, found themselves in the middle and ended up sharing an 81-run stand off 112 balls.

The 24-year-old learnt from the mistakes he committed in the last few matches and controlled the innings with good pace as he kept hitting boundaries at regular intervals which didn’t let any pressure mount on him despite a few close calls.

Meanwhile, the decision to attempt a reverse sweep cost him as he gloved the ball to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes behind the stumps to become Shoaib Bashir’s victim.

He scored 104 runs off 147 balls as his knock ensured India a big lead after the Indian openers departed early on Day 3.

Meanwhile, Gill survived two close DRS calls in successive overs soon after his arrival into the middle to post his first fifty-plus score in 13 innings.

The India number three was tentative at the start and Anderson’s accuracy made him look more vulnerable. Gill first survived a close lbw call off Tom Hartley with the TV umpiring overturning the on-field decision after spotting an inside edge that the batter himself was not sure about.

In the next over, an incoming ball from Anderson thudded into Gill’s knee roll and on this occasion umpire’s call saved Gill.