"It seemed like Shubman Gill did a job we had been waiting for many years" - Aakash Chopra lauds youngster's century on Day 3 of 2nd IND vs ENG Test

Aakash Chopra has lauded Shubman Gill for ending his own century drought as well as for India at the No. 3 position at home.

Gill scored 104 runs off 147 deliveries as India posted 255 in their second innings on Day 3 of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, February 4. Ben Stokes and company ended the day at 67/1, needing 332 more runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Gill for scoring a long-awaited hundred. He elaborated (0:01):

"It seemed like Shubman Gill did a job we had been waiting for many years. It did not take many years but his first century at No. 3 has come. The fact also is that it is the first century by a No. 3 Indian batter in India for the last six to seven years. So he has finally ended the drought."

The former India opener observed that pressure was mounting on the youngster due to his recent lean run. He said (4:10):

"Shubman Gill was the performer of the day. He hadn't scored runs since he started coming at No. 3. It was 12 innings since he scored his last century. The pressure was mounting and questions were being asked. The noise was increasing with every passing innings. It was important for him to score runs here."

Before Sunday, Gill hadn't scored a Test half-century since his 128-run knock against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023. He aggregated 23 runs in his two innings in the first Test against England and scored 34 in India's first essay of the ongoing second Test.

---

"He came with a slightly proactive mindset" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's approach

Shubman Gill struck 11 fours and two sixes during his innings. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra was particularly appreciative of Shubman Gill's positive attitude. He observed (4:45):

"The thing I liked the most was that he came with a slightly proactive mindset. The feet were moving slightly better. You need a little luck when you are going through bad times and luck favored him. If the umpire had given him out off James Anderson's bowling, he would have remained out as it was umpire's call."

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the stylish batter's recent lean run would have made him hungrier for runs. He stated:

"He got an edge and the slip fielder was standing slightly wide. So there were one or two slight moments but other than that, he used his feet well, he started looking for runs and his body positioning was right. When you are short of something, you realize that it is very dear to you."

Apart from the aforementioned reprieves, Gill was given out lbw when he was on four. He took a review on his partner Shreyas Iyer's insistence and was fortunate as the replays suggested that he had inside-edged the ball onto his pads.