'He Looked Very Uncomfortable': Ravichandran Ashwin's 'Extra Praise' for Shubman Gill After 'Replacing' Virat Kohli – News18

Shubman Gill answered a lot of questions regarding his ability as a solid no.3 in Tests with two centuries in a total of 452 runs during the recent India vs England five-match series at home. Gill left behind his lean patch to play an important role in India’s 4-1 demolition of England.

Prior to his century in the second innings of the Vizag Test last month, Gill had gone 12 innings having not crossed 36. However, he returned to form to justify the team management’s faith.

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There was another spot that Gill had to takeover in the absence of Virat Kohli during the England series. Gill was asked to field at short midwicket, a position where usually Kohli is stationed.

India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin says Gill took his time to get a hang of the fielding position which is a testament to his desire to keep improving.

“Short mid-wicket is Virat Kohli’s position,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “It is very difficult to replace him. Gill started off there in the first test, and he looked very uncomfortable. By the final Test, he got it. He also took a catch of (Ben) Duckett on covers. It shows that he wants to improve his game on a day-to-day basis, and he’s working on it.”

Ashwin also lauded Gill for stepping up and overcoming the intense scrutiny following a string of low scores, earmarking him as the next superstar of Indian cricket.

“I give extra praise to Shubman Gill because he has seen the ups and downs of the game. People discussed his position in the XI. He had a few technical issues of his own. He came past all that to become what he is today. And for somebody who is bound to be the next superstar of Indian cricket, as people project, this is a very important journey for him. He has handled the pressure, and massive applause is for him,” Ashwin said.