"He had to come and show immediately that he is the right replacement for KL Rahul" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Shubman Gill's century

Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded Shubman Gill for scoring a century under pressure in the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Gill scored 128 runs off 235 deliveries as India ended Day 3 at 289/3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 11. Rohit Sharma and Co. currently trail Australia by 191 runs with seven first-innings wickets in hand.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar pointed out that Shubman Gill would have been a little tense heading into the game, explaining:

"Whatever you might say, he would have been in a little tension in this Test match because he took KL Rahul's place, who was the vice-captain. He had to come and show immediately that he is the right replacement for KL Rahul but just like the other batters who struggled in the last match, he also didn't score runs."

The former Indian batter praised the Punjab opener for becoming slightly more circumspect as his innings progressed, elaborating:

"Centuries keep happening but such innings gladden your heart. He played in a slightly attacking fashion at the start, took on the bowlers a little, hit a six against Nathan Lyon yesterday but there was a time today when he knew that he had gotten set and no one could trouble him, so he showed patience."

Gill struck 12 fours and a six during his innings. His only maximum came against Nathan Lyon in the final over of the second day's play but he refrained from playing big shots on Saturday.

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"The way he paced the innings was praiseworthy" - Sanjay Bangar on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill hit a four to reach his century. [P/C: BCCI]

Sanjay Bangar praised Shubman Gill for pacing his innings immaculately, saying:

"The way he paced the innings was praiseworthy. There were phases when the Australian bowlers bowled the leg-stump line or reverse swing, but he nullified all their plans and scored this century. They placed two mid-wickets at times and short cover on other occasions."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the opener being amongst the runs will hold Team India in good stead going forward, reasoning:

"I feel he played a complete Test innings. He maintained his concentration for a long time in such heat. These are great signs for the Indian team going forward because whenever you get good opening batters and get a good start, half the job of the team is done because you get a nice foundation."

Gill mentioned in a post-match interview that he wanted to make the most of a rare batting-friendly pitch in a Test match at home. However, he was slightly disappointed about not remaining unbeaten until the close of play on Day 3.