"Gave me satisfaction": Shubman Gill surpasses Virat Kohli in WTC century record

Day 3 of the first India vs Bangladesh Test in Chennai fared comparatively well for the Indian batters. While the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed in the second consecutive innings, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant took center stage on Saturday. Rishabh Pant roared back into the longest format with a century. Shubman Gill followed suit as he registered his fifth ton in whites. Gill remained unbeaten on 119 when India declared the innings with a lead of 308 runs against the visitors.

Shubman Gill talks about his Test ton against Bangladesh

Shubman Gill faced a lot of criticism for his failure in the first innings, where he was out for an eight-ball duck in the India vs Bangladesh Test. The 25-year-old, however, proved his worth in the Indian Playing XI with a scintillating ton in the second innings. The batter notched his fifth Test hundred within just 25 matches. Interestingly, with this century, Gill surpassed Virat Kohli in a notable record. The youngster moved ahead of Kohli to take the second spot on the list of batters with the most centuries for India in the World Test Championship. Currently, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma leads the list with nine centuries in 33 matches.

Gill, wading through significant criticism for his recent red-ball performances, addressed the media after Day 3 of the Test. The youngster described the feeling of notching another century as a ‘satisfactory’ one. Gill, who smashed four sixes on his way to the 100-run mark, explained that he had made some plans coming into the Test, and he executed them against Bangladesh at Chepauk.

“Definitely scoring runs against any opposition gives you a lot of confidence, and that’s what I’ve been working on. So it gives me a lot of satisfaction,” the 25-year-old said. “I practiced before this series. I had certain plans, so I think I executed them,” he continued. “It’s about having a good defense but also not missing out on the opportunities that you get as a batsman to score runs,” the batter further explained.

The batter also discussed his technique for dealing with the spin threat posed by Bangladesh. The lanky young gun, who displayed impressive footwork against spin, explained how he has practiced using his feet to combat the turn. Moreover, Gill opened up about treating loose deliveries with aerial shots, sending them across the boundary.

“Actually, it’s something that I started practicing when I was very young because I was always a tall guy. So it was easier for me to be able to use my feet and play along the ground,” Gill stated. “Playing in the air and hitting sixes actually came a bit later when I got a little bit more power in my body. But initially, when I used to practice, especially against spinners, it used to be a lot more about me stepping down and trying to rotate,” he added. “Because it’s then hard for bowlers to settle on a wicket like this where the odd one is turning, but not all the balls are turning,” he opined.

India declared their innings on Day 3 at the score of 287, boosted by the respective tons of Gill and Rishabh Pant. Consequently, India invited Bangladesh to undertake a mammoth 515-run chase to secure a result in the first Test at Chepauk. At stumps on Day 3, Bangladesh was at 158 runs for the loss of 4 wickets, with Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto at the crease.