Gill’s confident 44 completes India’s Test top order

Kolkata: There was nothing remotely spectacular about Shubman Gill’s 44. It was, by the standards of the India captain’s career, almost modest — 54 balls, seven fours, and a leading-edge dismissal that shouldn’t be read too much into.

Yet, as India completed a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in their tour match, Gill’s innings carried significance beyond its score. Shubman Gill in action during the warm-up match in Colombo on Sunday.

What Happened

(Pankaj Nangia / CREIMAS for BCCI)For India, this was less about runs than reassurance. Devdutt Padikkal’s hundred on Saturday had already provided one important answer.

• After 41 Tests, Gill has 2,969 runs at an average of 44.31, with 11 hundreds and eight fifties.

• But the most consequential runs may have been his skipper’s.

• Sri Lanka’s Nishan Madushka, who made fifties in both innings, provided encouragement, while Mohammed Siraj found time to entertain with a late burst of six-hitting.

Key Details

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brisk 61 from 46 balls in the second innings added another. Rishabh Pant’s batting in the second innings, too, offered familiar evidence of his capacity to change the tempo of an innings.

• His 61 from 46 balls contained nine fours and two sixes and was a reminder that India’s left-handed opener can transform a chase before the opposition has time to settle.

• Jaiswal supplied the acceleration India have come to expect from him.

• The innings eventually slowed as he settled, but that was hardly a concern in a rehearsal whose primary purpose was preparation.

Why It Matters

Then came Gill, back at the crease, back at No.4, and — most importantly — back looking like a batter who belongs at the centre of India’s Test plans. That was the final piece in the batting line-up India needed.

• He went from 13 to 29 with three boundaries in quick succession.

• Gill did not appear to be batting as though protecting an injury.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge