The England tour will always remain etched in memory with Shubman Gill. The spotlight was shining upon him not just as a batter but also as a leader. There were questions posed by the many about whether Gill was mature enough to lead the Indian Test team, more so in such testing English conditions. However, the youngster proved his ingenuity with a monumental series in which both teams shared the spoils 2-2.
Quite inspiring was the way Gill told how he had self-doubts before stepping into this role and sought knowledge from three of the biggest names in the game: Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.
Shubman Gill seeks guidance from legends
Gill, in an interview, revealed that he reached out to Sachin and Smith prior to the tour. The two legends had the same advice for him:
“I spoke with Sachin Tendulkar and Steven Smith before the England tour, and both of them advised me to defend straight and score square.”
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According to a Times of India report, Gill talked coolly and calmly with Smith and Williamson but grew quite nervous when it came to Tendulkar. He openly admitted to shivering before the call, which shows the level of respect he has for his idol.
“Sachin sir bol rahe hain toh galat kaise ho sakta hai (If Sachin Tendulkar is saying it, then something is seriously wrong in my technique — he can’t be wrong),” Gill said to people in his very close circles.
The advice apparently worked wonders. Gill grabbed 754 runs at an average of 75.40 in the five-Test series. He scored four centuries, including a majestic double hundred at Edgbaston, with 269 in one innings and 161 in the other.
Gill went on to break several records with this tally of runs. He also surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record of runs scored by an Indian captain in a Test series. Gill became the first batter from Asia to score more than 700 runs in a Test series held in England. At some point he was almost challenging Don Bradman’s all-time record of 974 runs in a single Test series.
