There was a time when Sachin Tendulkar inadvertently helped improve Indians’ knowledge of human physiology and anatomy. Every time he sustained an injury – be it to his back, to the sesamoid bone in his foot or the infamous tennis elbow – Indians devoured whatever they could lay their hands on to get a deeper understanding of the malady that had afflicted their talisman, and how long he would take to recover and return to action.
Shubman Gill hasn’t quite gotten there yet, but online research into dengue grew manifold in the last week, once it was confirmed that he was diagnosed with this viral fever transmitted by mosquitos. The 24-year-old is the hottest property in India, perhaps world, cricket currently, and was expected to lord the World Cup with his majestic stroke-play. Unfortunately, Gill was forced to watch his team’s victories against Australia and Afghanistan, respectively, on television.
Speculation that Gill will finally make his World Cup debut on Saturday, against Pakistan, at the monumental Narendra Modi Stadium, has been rife from the time he flew down to Ahmedabad from Chennai on Wednesday even as India were teaching Afghanistan harsh lessons at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Briefly hospitalized in the Tamil Nadu capital to correct a dipping platelet count, the right-hander hit the nets on Thursday morning, batting without inhibition for the better part of three-quarters of an hour. The exercise wasn’t so much to determine what batting touch Gill was in; it was more to ascertain that he could get through the rigours of a long workout after a week-long hiatus without getting too fatigued.
Also read: Why ODIs are at the core of the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry
Rohit Sharma confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Gill was ‘99% available’ to play on Saturday. Unlike some captains who say one thing and mean something entirely different, Rohit doesn’t play mind games, so his assertion must be taken at face value. That Gill turned up for Friday evening’s optional net session and again batted freely at the nets lent greater gravitas to the assumption that he will replace Ishan Kishan in the XI for Saturday’s crunch encounter.
It's to Gill’s tremendous credit that in a line-up that includes Rohit and Virat Kohli, he is gradually emerging as the first among equals. Kohli has 47 ODI centuries, second only to Tendulkar’s all-time record 49, while Wednesday’s blazing 131 against Afghanistan was Rohit’s 31st, propelling him to the status of the third highest century-maker in 50-over internationals. By comparison, Gill is a long way behind; he has only six centuries in 35 matches, but five of them have come this year alone in 20 innings, and his last four knocks read 104, 74, 27 not out and 121.
Gill is a glorious force of nature, matching Rohit and Kohli for elegance and effectiveness and imperiousness at the batting crease. He is at his best playing off the back foot square on either side, using a snappy punch and strong forearms to play the horizontal-bat strokes with devastating effect. He is also a beautiful timer of the cricket ball, often caressing rather than bludgeoning it to the boundary; in the last year, he has added no little power to his game – he has 27 ODI sixes in 2023 – which means even when the field is spread out and there are enough fielders populating the fence, he backs himself to clear the boundary ropes and send spectators in the stands scattering for cover.
With India and Pakistan not playing each other outside of continental and global competitions, Gill has only two ODI appearances against the neighbours, both in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka last month. Dismissed for 10 in the first encounter in Pallekele, Gill got his own back a week later in Colombo with a subliminal 58, scored at better than a run a ball. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the excellent left-arm pacer who can swing the ball into the right-hander at will, loomed as the biggest threat to India. Gill systematically took him apart with three boundaries apiece in Afridi’s second and third overs, making him the only batsman to slam Afridi for six fours in an ODI. Babar Azam was forced to take Afridi off after a first spell of 3-0-31-0, Gill having laid the platform both for India’s mammoth 356 for two and their record 228-run win over their fiercest foes.
Afridi has had a quiet World Cup, but he is the kind of player who can turn it on at any minute. Gill’s potential return means India have someone who can counter his bowling with aplomb and panache. Gill and Rohit share a terrific understanding – Rohit seems to inspire the best in his opening partners, evidenced by Kishan’s role in their opening salvo of 156 against Afghanistan – and both possess the enviable knack of killing 'em softly. Their reunion for a match of such humongous proportions is a huge shot in the arm for India.
Gill also provides further value to the team with his excellent catching in the slips in the early stages of an innings. In Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, India have a quality new-ball pair that is capable of finding outside edges with felicity. Gill has offered them great catching support with his big, soft hands and the ease with which he moves, which ensures that he is not hurried or forced into snatching at the ball. The hallmark of a top-notch slip catcher is how easy he makes the catch appear; Gill comfortably falls in that category.
It's possible that, on his comeback Gill may not set the stadium afire, that one of Afridi or Hasan Ali or Haris Rauf could evict him early. That’s the nature of the sport; cricket’s reputation as a great leveller stems from its propensity to not allow anyone to take anything for granted. A century in the previous game is no guarantee for another big score in the succeeding innings because the cricketing gods, it would appear, would love for the players to remain humble and grounded. Gill won’t become a lesser player if he doesn’t have a hugely successful outing, but there is no doubting the fact – with no disrespect to Kishan - that India will be a more dangerous force with the elegant Punjab right-hander back in the mix.
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