Shubman Gill reveals struggles behind ending his 12-inning century drought during Vizag Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal's first-innings double ton, Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell throughout the match and Shubman Gill's rescue hundred - summed up India's incredible 106-run win in Visakhapatnam. The other two players might have overshadowed Gill's century, but the 24-year-old gritty knock in the second innings played a crucial role in India leveling the five-match series 1-1. 

Advertisment

Thanks to Jaiswal's 209 off 290 and Bumrah's six-wicket haul, the Men in Blue managed to take a huge first-innings lead. However, given the threat posed by the 'bazball', India had to ensure that there were enough runs in their account. With James Anderson removing both openers early on, the team was in a state of bother. 

One has to rise to the occasion and Gill stood tall, recognising the opportunity to prove his mettle. The right-hander had a shaky start to his innings, surviving two close calls. But soon he found his rhythm and went on to smash his third Test century. His partnerships with Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel took the game away from the opposition. 

Meanwhile, after the match, the youngster revealed the behind-the-scenes to broadcasters Zaheer Khan and Kevin Peterson on Jio Cinema. He was in severe pain after injuring his right index finger while fielding in England's first innings. Gill said he had to take an injection to mask the pain before displaying his heroics (104 off 147 balls). 

Advertisment

“I took an injection before coming out to bat in the 2nd innings because of getting hit on the fingers," he revealed. Notably, India's No.3 did not take the field in England's second innings on Day 4. 

Gill ends his 12-innings century drought when it mattered the most 

Gill was under fire for registering a string of low scores in the longer format of the game. The century came at the right time as it potentially saved his spot in India's Test Playing XI. His last fifty-plus score in red-ball cricket was 13 innings back. However, he managed to silence his critics with a befitting reply. 

"I think that's part and parcel of the game. You do well and everybody's going to applaud you. You don't do well, everybody's doing to... But I think the important thing is to be able to know what you're going to do when you go into bat. I'm someone who likes to see the situation, play according to the situation and take chances and I think play percentage cricket," Gill said after scoring his 10th international hundred.