Ashwin reveals what Shubhman Gill told him during Melbourne Test
Shubhman Gill emerged as one of the finds of the Australia tour. The youngster was instrumental in ensuring that India did not have to miss Virat Kohli much, even during tense chases like the one in the last Test at Brisbane.
In a YouTube conversation with batting coach Vikram Rathour, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed how confident Gill was during the series.
"I am a big fan of Shubman Gill's batting. Even in the Melbourne Test, this is an incident I wanted to share. We were bowling and the wicket got flat. We were bowling to Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and they were showing resistance.
"And Cameron Green was caught at square leg off a pull and Shubman came running to me and said, "Ash bhai, Jaldi khatam kar do yaar! 40-50 runs hoga toh mein paanch over mein khatam karoonga! (Please wrap up quickly. If it’s 40-50 runs to chase, I will do it in five overs)," Ashwin further said.
"I was like, ‘wow, this is unreal man'. We have a debutant who is walking up to say ‘khatam karo, finish it’ and I will finish in five overs and that too in a Test match," Ashwin said.
Even batting coach Vikram Rathour praised Gill’s efforts during the series calling him a special talent.
“I had called for discussions with all the batsmen during the lockdown. With other batters, we came up with plans, talked about what the bowlers might bowl at them, and worked out plans. But Gill had already sorted that out.
"The first thing he said was he was already practicing short ball as he was thinking about the Australian tour. He was telling me what he thought about Lyon, what are his plans going to be … That kind of clarity is unique when you know what you are going to do. He is a special player," he said.