"Shubman Gill is a 'very very special' player" - VVS Laxman

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has labeled Shubman Gill as a 'very very special' player, something he was himself hailed as during his playing days.

Shubman Gill played a majestic 91-run knock on the final day of the Brisbane Test. His 114-run partnership for the second wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara went a long way in helping India register a memorable win in the series-deciding encounter of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Shubman Gill's 91 at Gabba has to be on par with Sachin Tendulkar's 114 at WACA in Feb 1992.#AUSvIND #INDvAUS

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) January 19, 2021

In the recent episode of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, VVS Laxman was asked if we should be ready and excited for the next decade of Test cricket if the likes of Shubman Gill are taking India forward.

Calling Shubman Gill an extremely special player, the former Indian batsman observed that the classy opener had ensured that the visitors enjoyed the upper hand in the first session of the final day's play.

"Shubman Gill is not a special player, he is a very very special player. And I will tell the reason for that. Everyone knows he has the talent but the way he batted, especially on the fifth day because if India had to maintain the pressure on Australia, winning the first session was necessary," said Laxman

VVS Laxman highlighted Shubman Gill had not allowed Australia to gain an advantage despite the early loss of Rohit Sharma, with Cheteshwar Pujara holding fort at the other end.

"Rohit Sharma had got out early and Pujara was playing his natural defensive game. From the other end, the way Shubman Gill played the classy shots while playing his natural game, it was perfect technique and attacking shots," added Laxman

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Shubman Gill has got the ability to pick up the length early: VVS Laxman

Shubman Gill played an array of shots off the back foot

VVS Laxman pointed out that Shubman Gill has extra time at his disposal even while facing express pace bowling. The commentator was particularly appreciative of the pull shots and the upper-cut executed by the Punjab batsman.

"We all know the kind of shots he has got both off the front foot and the back foot but the pull shot and the upper-cut he played of the fast bowlers on a bouncy Gabba track showed that he has got the ability to pick up the length early and we all know that he has got a fraction of a second more whenever he is playing the quickest of the bowlers," observed Laxman

Shubman Gill looks like a man on a mission 👀#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/cuUuglZfiu

— ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2021

Laxman signed off by stating that Shubman Gill might have missed out on a well-deserved century but had proved himself as an excellent prospect for the Indian cricket team.

"And just his positive attitude was something I was very impressed. Yes, he would have loved to get his first hundred and win the match for Team India but I think Indian cricket is in safe hands," concluded VVS Laxman

Shubman Gill seems to have cemented a place at the top of the order in the Indian Test side. More than the 259 runs he scored in the three matches he played, the ease with which he batted impressed all the cricket aficionados. He would hope to continue in the same vein and script numerous wins for the Indian side going forward.