Gill appeared comfortable batting at No. 4, scoring 147 off 227 balls, which included 19 fours and a lone six.
The English bowlers relied on full deliveries targeting the middle and off stump, a challenge Gill navigated superbly through excellent weight transfer and a focus on shots in the ‘V’ region.
“I am very pleased to see his footwork (away from home), there’s been a substantial improvement. Shubman’s foot movement was exceptional; he made no errors,” Ganguly remarked to PTI in an interview.
“I believe England should not have bowled on that wicket, and they didn’t execute their plans effectively. His (Gill’s) footwork was remarkable; I hope it becomes a consistent aspect of his game because if he continues to bat like this in England and other conditions, he’s set to score a plethora of runs,” Ganguly added.
The series marks the beginning of a new era for Indian cricket following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Many anticipated a challenging transition, but the Men in Blue stunned observers with centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill, and Rishabh Pant in the first innings. Ganguly attributed India’s strong domestic structure for smoothing the path during this transition phase when senior players retire.
“I was never concerned about the future of Indian cricket. There will always be players stepping up to carry it forward. I’m not surprised by Yashasvi (Jaiswal) because I consider him a fantastic batter; he should be playing across all formats.”
Jaiswal has been in excellent form since the start of his Test career, clinching his maiden Test century with a 101-run performance on Friday.
“Shubman Gill and his performance away from home; I assure you that India has immense talent. There are 4-5 players ready to step up and score runs when given the opportunity,” Ganguly stated.
India was bowled out for 471 runs in their first innings of the match.
First Published: Jun 21, 2025 6:38 PM IST
