Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik feels captain Shubman Gill’s run out was a big moment on the opening day of the fifth Test match against England at Kennington Oval, London. Gill was looking confident at the crease but he made a mistake in judging a single. The right-hander set off for a quick run on the bowling of Gus Atkinson but didn’t realise that he had hit the ball closer to the bowler. Atkinson was able to come up with a direct hit as Gill had no chance to make his ground.
This was the first time in the series when Gill went past the 20-run mark but didn’t get a hundred. Gill has been a tremendous form in the ongoing series and thus it was a big wicket for England.
“Today, if you talk about the key moment in this match, it came when two wickets had fallen. Shubman Gill came in and the runs he scored, he scored them very confidently. On a wicket where we were saying it’s quite difficult, he made 21 runs off 35 balls and looked very confident. He got out at a moment when the run wasn’t really there, and he went for it. Unfortunately for him, the bowler picked it up and got him run out directly,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
“That was a very crucial moment because if he had stayed, who knows, the understanding between him and Sai Sudharsan might have continued. The most important thing is that on such a wicket, you don’t want to let the opposition back into the game. You want to build partnerships, and for a new batter coming in, it becomes very difficult to settle again. Today, with the rain interruptions and players going in and out, it was even tougher. Even on good wickets, once you settle into a rhythm, it’s hard to restart after a break. That’s why Shubman Gill’s run out was a big moment in the match today,” he added.
On the other hand, a former left-arm orthodox spinner hailed Karun Nair for scoring a fighting unbeaten knock of 52 runs on a tricky pitch.
“Look, the Performer of the Day is the comeback man because he didn’t play in the last Test match. Especially after the captain had said that he is just one good innings away, that he is batting well and they are backing him. And then when he got dropped, it becomes really difficult. That kind of pressure is different. And even when he made his comeback, it wasn’t in easy batting conditions. He batted in bowling-friendly conditions and not at number three, but lower down the order. The way Karun Nair batted today, for me, he is the Performer of the Day. He is still unbeaten.”
“In those conditions, the confidence he showed and the way he batted, this is his first fifty of the series. Especially under pressure while making a comeback, knowing that if you don’t score runs, you may not get another chance, no one knows. So under that kind of pressure, and especially when other batters have struggled, the way he batted stands out. Yes, Shubman Gill was also batting well, but while others struggled, Karun Nair is our Performer of the Day,” he added.
India ended the opening day’s play at 204-6 after they were put into bat.
