'If not you, then who?' - Shubman Gill posts Rahul Dravid's Pep talk on social media after match-winning knock against England
Shubman Gill scored 52* from 124 balls and was involved in a crucial partnership with Dhruv Jurel.
India registered a famous 5-wicket win over England in the fourth Test of the series at Ranchi. The win is a significant one as India were tested at various stages of the game. In the absence of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul the onus had come upon the youngsters to take their team over the line.
It might look easy from outside to win at home, but to stretch it for twelve years takes significant dominance. The youngsters in the team have shown that they are prepared for this level and they have proven it again in this series.
Shubman Gill, who was given the crucial No. 3 spot from the West Indies tour last year, had issues of his own coming into this series. His place in India’s Test team was under serious doubt as his defensive technique was under the scanner. But despite failing in the first Test, Gill came back strongly in the next one at Vizag to score a crucial second innings hundred.
He followed that up with another 91 at Rajkot. At Ranchi, he scored an important half-century in India’s second innings which helped the team chase down a tricky 192 on a difficult surface.
Shubman Gill’s Instagram post after India’s win in Ranchi Test
After the win, Shubman Gill posted head coach Rahul Dravid’s pep talk on his Instagram handle, which stated, 'If not you, then who?' India had lost Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan in quick succession straight after lunch. Clearly, it was Gill’s time to take the responsibility when India were struggling at 120-5.
The pitch was turning and ball was keeping low, which made sure no batter is settled down. England’s inexperienced spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley had found their rhythm after a tough morning hour.
But Gill had other ideas. He found a way to tackle England’s spinners by using his feet and taking the lbw out of the equation. The 24-year-old star hit just 2 sixes in his knock of 52, which showed that he was ready to grind it out in a tough situation.
Shubman Gill found an able partner in Dhruv Jurel who scored a crucial 39. Both Gill and Jurel stitched together an unbeaten 72-run partnership to take India to a famous series victory. Jurel was adjudged Man of the Match in just his second Test. India have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with the next Test to be played at Dharamsala.