Shubman Gill's recent form has been nothing short of sensational, drawing high praise from none other than former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. Gill's remarkable performances, particularly his commanding 269 in the second Test against England, have led Ganguly to declare that he's witnessing batting of a caliber rarely seen in recent decades.
Ganguly, who himself was a master of English conditions, having scored a century on his debut at Lord's, sees a worthy successor in Gill. He lauded Gill's "absolute masterclass" on X, stating it was "one of the best innings I have seen in England in any era". Ganguly further added that Gill has shown "so much improvement in the last few months" and that "probably opening was not his place in Test cricket".
Gill's journey has seen him transition from an opening batsman to the crucial No. 4 position, previously held by legends like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. His record-breaking double century in the second Test against England not only propelled India to a commanding position but also silenced any lingering doubts about his suitability in the Test setup. At 25 years old, Gill has become the first Indian and Asian captain to score a double century in a Test match in England. His score surpassed Kohli's 254 as the highest score by an Indian Test captain, and Tendulkar's 241 as the highest by an Indian outside Asia and Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at The Oval as India's top Test score in England. Gill himself acknowledged the hard work he had put in, stating, "This is the result of work I put in before the series, I'm glad it's paying off".
Earlier in the series, Gill had also showcased his improved batting skills with a brilliant 147 against England in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley. Ganguly noted the significant improvement in Gill's batting during that innings as well.
While Gill's batting has been a major positive, Ganguly has also been vocal about other aspects of the Indian team's strategy. He questioned the team management's selection decisions, particularly the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and Shreyas Iyer. Ganguly felt that Yadav, a left-arm wrist-spinner, should have been included alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, while Iyer, according to Ganguly, has been in fantastic form over the last year and deserved a place in the squad.