Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that India skipper Shubman Gill delivered a powerful message with his determined innings on Day 4 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester. With India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, they found themselves in deep trouble after conceding a massive 311-run lead in the first innings.
The situation deteriorated further as the visitors collapsed to 0/2 in the very first over of their second innings. But the 25-year-old Gill stood firm, showcasing remarkable resilience and technique to blunt the English bowling attack through the final two sessions. He remained unbeaten on 78 from 167 balls, guiding India to 174/2 by stumps.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the day’s play, Ponting praised Gill’s spirited effort, saying:
“It’s a bit of a statement from the captain, Shubman Gill. He has come out under extreme pressure for this innings. We’ve been critical about him tactically through the course of this game and so to come out at 0/2, he was under a lot of pressure to stand up as a captain and a player.”
He further added:
“But, there’s still a long way to go and because this wicket is so slow, it won’t be easy to start on for anybody so once you’ve got a partnership like this, it’s really important that you stretch it out.”
Ricky Ponting Applauds India’s Fighting Spirit In England Test
Ricky Ponting applauded Team India for their remarkable turnaround on Day 4 of the Manchester Test, when they appeared to be in serious trouble. Captain Shubman Gill found solid support in the in-form KL Rahul, with the pair stitching together an unbroken 174-run partnership for the third wicket after India had slumped to 0/2.
“It’s a great comeback. There is something about these more modern Indian players, they are real tough and they fight. And they tend to bat better on really wearing wickets because that’s what they are used to batting on at home,” said Ponting (via the aforementioned source).
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