It was a tale of two centuries that was much more than the runs made and the occasion. These were hundreds that were full of such promise and assurance that it would have made captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors’ optimism grow ahead of what is going to be a challenging Test season. Having already taken control of the Test, Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 119 and Rishabh Pant’s characteristic 109 put Bangladesh into submission as India inched closer to taking a series lead at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on a gloomy Saturday.
Having come together as a batting pair for the first time in their careers at the end of Day 2, Gill and Pant – who had led India at Under-19 levels – had the whole of Day Three to assert their spot. Not that their place in the squad was in question, but there were a few concerns waiting to be addressed. Gill has to show he is the ideal one for No 3, Pant needs to show his game hasn’t lost its signature touch. And through the course of their 167-run stand, they answered together, taking India to 287/4 as they set Bangladesh a target of 515.
But, these were not the most testing conditions. On a cloudy morning despite pacers dominating the Test so far, it was the off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz who began the day for Bangladesh. Their field positions – with a spread out field from the beginning – suggested they are just awaiting declaration. There wasn’t much of a push. It might seem as easy second-innings runs while playing for declaration, but there was much to lose than gain.
Of all Indian batsmen, the conditions in Chepauk suited Gill’s style perfectly. This is a pitch where there is value for horizontal bat shots. But in the first innings, Gill had looked out of place in his brief stay that there was a noise as to what Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood could do in Australia.
Chennai: India’s Shubman Gill plays a shot on the third day of the first test cricket match between India and Bangladesh, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar)
India still hasn’t warmed up to a batsman of Gill’s ilk at No 3. Their last two one-drop batsmen have been so solid in Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara that a stroke-maker is seen more as a risky investment. But it is how Test cricket is played these days, where teams prefer batsmen who play shots at a time when bowler-friendly conditions are the norm worldwide. On Day 2 despite losing Rohit early, Gill had already put the pressure back on Bangladesh and on Day 3 just went about consolidating India’s position. With a slightly unconventional style, he opens different angles on the leg-side thanks to his ability to fetch deliveries from outside off. The only trouble that Gill faced was his lighthearted struggles to protect his bat from Pant, who kept on tapping his favourite bat harder every time they converged in the middle.
With a much improved game against the spinners, he was all fluent and authoritative. Trusting his defence against the spinners more, he was prepared to play them out before opening up by using his feet every time they gave a bit of air. 72 of his 119 runs came against spinners. Against pacers, he was solid, but the odd in-coming ones still remains a work in progress.
“Definitely scoring runs against any opposition gives you a lot of confidence and that’s what I have been working on, so it gives me a lot of satisfaction. I practiced before the series, I had certain plans, so I think I executed them. It’s about having a good defence but then also not missing out on the opportunities that you get as a batsman to be able to score runs. I think the series that I had against England gave me a lot of confidence. And I felt it was a long time coming for me, especially batting at that position,” Gill said.
Pant, on the other hand, was all flamboyance. Apart from bringing something different to the middle-order as a left-hander, Pant liberates India out of tricky situations with his explosiveness. His previous five centuries had all come when India needed them desperately. Even five of his six scores between 90-99 have been valuable jail-breaks for the team. This time he had to do it for himself, just to get the confidence back.
And such was his confidence that the image of the game would be him casually asking the Bangladesh team to position a fielder at mid-wicket as singles were coming off easily in that region.
Like Gill, majority of his runs came against spinners, as he feasted on it with chants of “Rishabh Pant, Rishabh Pant” filling the air. For the major part of the months that Pant was unavailable, it was in Tests that India desperately missed him. In 22 months they had tried four different wicketkeepers – KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel – and although they all had their moments with the exception of the former, none came close to playing the sort of impactful innings that Pant is capable off.
With an equally punishing game against pacers and spinners, Pant’s return to form is what India needed before the Australia tour. Apart from missing Jasprit Bumrah, Pant’s unavailability is what former head coach Rahul Dravid rued about more often for he can seamlessly dictate the pace of the game. India were not looking for quick runs here as they wanted to give their bowlers adequate rest and it meant Pant had to begin the day in third gear before he began to accelerate. The sweeps of varying kinds – the reverse, the falling-paddle, the slog and the conventional sweep, and his trademark scoop off the pacers were all on display at Chepauk as he brought up his sixth Test century even ahead of Gill. With these two in form, India would breathe a touch easier while contemplating the tough season ahead.
