Legendary Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri praised captain Shubman Gill for his stellar performance at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which kept India in a dominant position and levelled the five-Test series at 1-1.
The 25-year old registered scores of 269 and 161, the most by an Indian batter in a Test, breaking legendary Sunil Gavaskar's record. He also set a benchmark with 54 boundaries, most by a captain in a Test.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri drew comparisons between Gill and legendary Australian batter Don Bradman, who still holds the record for best average in the history of Test cricket (99.94). Shastri gave the India skipper full marks for his performance.
"The best by a captain. 10 out of 10," I mean, you can't ask for anything more from a captain. You are 1-0 down in the series, you come out there and you bat like Bradman. 268 (269) and a 161 and you ended up winning the game," he said in a conversation on Sky Sports which featured former England captains Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and India's Dinesh Karthik.
Shastri feels Gill shepherded the team with amazing captaincy, portrayed a proactive approach with his tactical decision-making. The 63-year-old lauded Gill for backing Akash Deep for Edgbaston Test in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
"Your captaincy was very reactive in the first Test. You followed the ball. But you were very proactive in the next game. You might have just unearthed the best seamer for English conditions in this Indian line-up by picking Akash Deep, who will trouble England as this series progresses," he added.
When teenager Gill stunned Shastri in nets
Shastri recalled the time when he first saw Gill. It was during Under-19 World Cup 2018 where he witnessed his performance. After comparisons with Bradman, he likened him to Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.
"I saw him in the nets. Raghu (Raghavendra, India's throwdown specialist) bowls at 160 in the nets. He bounces the batters. This guy (Shubman Gill) was just whacking him. I have not seen an Indian player pulling in that fashion, Kohli, yes. After Kohli, this fellow. This guy used to watch Kohli very closely. Whatever he did, how he trained and everything else. I remember telling my batting coach, Vikram Rathour, who is from Punjab.
"I called him and said, 'Who's that guy? Bring him in the mix immediately.' We spoke to the selectors and got him in the side. He had done well in U19 but the first time I saw him, I said, 'This is class'. I've seen Sachin Tendulkar, who caught the imagination immediately. Kohli, of course, when he captained and played and then this bloke, when I saw him for the first time, was class," he concluded.
Meanwhile, India will lock horns with England in the third Test at the iconic Lord's starting from July 10.