SHUB'MAN' OF THE HOUR

Beyond the numbers and the records, what stood out was the distinct styles that Shubman Gill adopted in the two knocks that he played at Edgbaston, a sure sign of his maturity as a batter, feels Saibal Chatterjee

- Saibal Chatterjee

Shubman Gill, India’s new Test captain, has taken no time to hit his straps both as a batter and a leader of men. His appointment as skipper had been greeted with a fair bit of scepticism but thanks to the way he has eased himself into the role, the 25-year-old has allayed all fears. The three centuries that Gill has toted up in the first four innings of the current five-match Test series in England are notable not only for the impact they have had but also for the sublime manner in which they were crafted.

The youngster went about scoring runs with great finesse and authority, combining poise and gumption as he announced to the world that he was no longer a callow youth struggling for form and consistency in the most exacting format of the game. He had arrived. Until the England series got underway, Gill's Test batting average in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) was a meagre 17.64. He had only 300 runs from IO innings. His Test average in England was particularly abysmal (14.66), having aggregated only 88 runs from six inningsnot the kind of performance that would have inspired confidence as he led India out to the middle in the first Test at Headingley.