India vs England: Shubman Gill pleased with century, but says hosts 'could have done with a few more runs' on Day 3

Shubman Gill expressed delight at finally regaining his form on Sunday with a sparkling hundred at Visakhapatnam, but felt India could have done with a few more runs than what they eventually managed on Day 3 of the 2nd Test. Gill struck a 147-ball 104 , collecting his third century in Test cricket as well as his first since he was shifted to the No 3 slot in order to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top. The Punjab batter, however, did not get much support from his teammates and was the only one to cross 50, as India finished with 255 on the board in their second essay. It was a similar case in the first innings where Jaiswal scored a magnificent 209, more than half of India’s first innings score of 396 in which the southpaw was the only Indian batter to cross 40. “Definitely pleased but I left a few out there. We could have done with a few more runs,” Gill told broadcasters Sports18 after stumps on Day 3 at Visakhapatnam. Gill’s knock, however, helped India recover from the dismissals of Jaiswal and skipper Rohit Sharma early in the day and set the Englishmen, who are leading the five-Test series 1-0 after their stunning victory in Hyderabad, an improbable 399-run target. The Indian No 3 felt that the wicket wasn’t exactly the easiest of surfaces to bat on, and that the Englishmen would have to really apply themselves in the steep run chase on the penultimate day. “Not an easy wicket to bat on, you have to apply yourself. The ball is turning, hopefully we can get the ball in the right areas tomorrow. It’s about 70-30 at the moment, the morning session is a big one. We’ve seen some movement for the fast bowlers, I think if we get the ball in the right areas we’ll be okay,” Gill added. Read | Zak Crawley not too worried, insists England ‘can chase anything' England were 67/1 at close of play, with Zak Crawley batting on 29 and nightwatchman Rehan Ahmed unbeaten on 9. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin managed to break the opening partnership that had once again crossed the fifty mark by getting a bat-pad deflection off Ben Duckett. Wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat ended up pulling off off a fine catch near short leg, stretching every muscle in his body to grab the ball, resulting in the southpaw departing for 28. Important and satisfying to score runs at number 3: Gill After scoring 104 out of India’s second innings total of 255 against England on the third day of the second Test, Gill was a pleased man. It was his first 50-plus score in 13 innings and the first substantial knock after deciding to move down a place in the batting order. “It was very important and very satisfying for me to be able to score runs at number three. It felt pretty good, especially in the situation given when we lost Yashasvi and Rohit, as they were really good at giving us good starts at the top of the order. “I think it was important for us to get a big lead and to be able to get as many runs as possible,” said Gill, who survived two close DRS calls early in his innings before gaining confidence. Ever since his U-19 days, Gill has been rated highly and last year he came of age with a stellar white ball season. However, the success in the traditional format eluded him over the past six months. Gill knows that the team has high expectations from him and perhaps that is why his celebrations post the landmark were rather subdued. He did not last long after reaching the milestone, falling to a reverse sweep. “It felt good. I just thought the job was not done for the team. So, that’s why it was a little mellowed celebration,” he said.

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Talking about his struggles early on when Anderson was making the ball talk, he said: “I was just taking one ball at a time and obviously, there was a lot happening around the crease. A couple of wickets fell early and then me and Shreyas had a good partnership.” Gill was guilty of using hard hands in the series opener and even reached out to a fairly wide ball in the first innings here to get out. He put in the hard yards in the nets ahead of the second Test and that seemed to have worked for him. “I think it’s very important to stay true to who you are and how you have gotten there. Sometimes if you get over-defensive or over-aggressive or try to play or try to be someone that you are not, then you are prolonging those innings. “Then you’re sometimes not able to get out of that shell that was my thing going into this Test that I’m going to play how I’ve played my cricket throughout,” Gill shared his thoughts on dealing with the lean phase. ‘Not easy to score runs here’ Gill felt England will find it tough to chase down a record 399 on day four. He was also asked about England chasing a mammoth 378 against India rather comfortably in Edgbaston in 2022. “As the game goes on, it will have variable bounce as we saw today. It is not turning as much as the other pitches but it is definitely doing something. It is not easy to score runs here. “England are never out of the game. I think this is a different kind of wicket than what we played at Edgbaston. “Having said that, the morning session will be very important for us as we have seen there is always a bit of moisture coming at the start of the day. That will be the key for us,” said Gill. With PTI inputs