Shubman Gill finished ended on unbeaten 28 on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test match against Australia in Melbourne. This happened after India bowled Australia out for 195 with an impressive performance from the Indian bowlers. India lost the wickets of Mayank Agarwal early but still had a good day overall as Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara put India on the drivers seat. Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar was mighty impressive with Gill’s performance on the first day.
Shubman Gill looked certain and assertive with his technique. After weathering the early storm from the Australian bowlers he struck five boundaries in his 28. Agarkar hailed the maturity of the 21-year old in the post-match show with Sony Sports Network.
“He [Shubman Gill] should have got an opportunity couple of years back. He just looks ready. You can see obviously he has got the potential,” Ajit Agarkar told Sony Sports.
Gill was given a life early on in his innings when Marnus Labuschagne dropped him in the slips at four. The early wicket of Mayank Agarwal did not have any impact on Gill’s concentration as he batted with immense focus. Agarkar lauded the newcomer’s self-belief and stated that the young Indian opener will make it count on the second day of the game as well.
Ajit Agarkar Lauds Shubman Gill
“Couldn’t have been easy this little period but just grew in confidence with every ball that he played. Yes, got an opportunity, he has got that little bit of luck which you need at times. Hopefully, he can go on and make that count,” Agarkar added.
Gill also took the catch of Labuschagne to give Mohammad Siraj his first test wicket Earlier in the day, he somehow avoided a collision with Ravindra Jadeja while trying to go for a catch.
Shubman Gill scored a 43 and a 65 in the second warm-up game to get his place in the second Test in Melbourne.