Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has lavished praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill after the opening day of the second Test match against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Wednesday. While Jaiswal scored a fine knock of 87 runs, Gill scored an unbeaten 114-run knock as both batters continued their rich form.
Shastri hailed the duo as two pillars of the Indian batting line-up for the next decade. Gill and Jaiswal have shown the skills to go a long way in their respective careers.
Gill and Jaiswal scored 147 and 101 runs respectively in the first innings of the opening Test at Leeds, Headingley against England.
“Very hungry. You can see at the start of his innings. When someone gets that many runs against a particular attack, he starts from scratch innings by innings. That tour of Australia did him a world of good. He’s twice the player now as he comes to England. Hard tour, some spicy tracks (Australia), here some very good tracks and he is not going to miss out. He’s come up the hard way. He doesn’t forget it. He’s grateful for that and he is ambitious. He wants to go out there and play the big innings,” Ravi Shastri said on Sky Sports while praising Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is averaging more than 85 against England.
“These are two pillars of the Indian batting line-up – Gill and Jaiswal, over the next decade.”
Shastri hailed Gill for his focus and patience on Wednesday and also for leading from the front as a young captain.
“He just cut off everything around him. He just focused on his batting. Trusted his defense. I think he’s learnt a lot in the last year or so. Knows what’s required in England and his defense was first-class. He makes it look so easy. So easy on the eye. What was good to see was he was never in a hurry. He was very calm, composed, played at his own pace even when wickets were falling around him. As a captain as well, if you can take that responsibility, absorb pressure, and then get back-to-back hundreds in England, I think it’s a great achievement,” he opined.
India ended the opening day’s play at 310-5.
