Aakash Chopra praised Shubman Gill for completing a methodical century in India’s first innings of the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala on Friday, March 8.
Gill struck 110 runs off 150 deliveries, and India finished Day 2 at 473/8. The hosts hold a 255-run advantage in the first inning and intend to push it to close to 300 runs.
Chopra was questioned about Gill’s century during a Colors Cineplex discussion.
“I am convinced that Shubman Gill has the DNA of greatness because of the way he bats. A lot of things are important while batting. Scoring runs is one thing but the other thing is to get the understanding of how to score runs.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener stated that understanding how to get runs is the most important component of batting.
“Everyone has to score runs to reach here or else you wouldn’t have reached here, it’s very simple. However, at times it takes a lifetime to understand when, how, and against whom you have the most chances of scoring runs.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal gained such insight early in their careers.
“We have seen in Yashasvi’s short career that he has a very good understanding of that, and we are seeing that with Shubman Gill consistently, that if the pitch is to his liking, he shouldn’t stop.”
Aakash Chopra
Jaiswal scored 57 runs from 58 deliveries on the first day of the Dharamsala Test. He shared 104 runs for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma (103 off 162) before the Indian captain and Gill put on a 171-run second-wicket stand.
Aakash Chopra sees potential in Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal to become world-class batsmen
Aakash Chopra believes Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal could do great things. They just need the right guidance.
“How to play Tom Hartley on this pitch, when and which ball to hit against Shoaib Bashir, which shots to play against fast bowling, and which not to play, this maturity is telling that if this DNA is nurtured properly, you have two batting superstars of world cricket in front of you.”
Aakash Chopra
Yashasvi Jaiswal is the series’ leading run-scorer, with 712 runs in nine innings and an average of 89.00. He is followed by Gill, who has 452 runs in nine innings at an average of 56.50.