India's Test captain Shubman Gill was at his fluent best as he brought up his maiden Test double ton, in what was a marathon innings. Gill finished with a score of 269, the highest-ever by an Indian captain, surpassing the all-time great, Virat Kohli.
The Indian skipper stunned the cricketing world with his performance as the entire cricket fraternity was in awe of his elegance. Gill's knock allowed India to reach a dominating position early on in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
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After Day 2 of 2nd Test, Gill got emotional after receiving a message from his parents.
Gill falls short of triple century despite record 269 in IND vs ENG 2nd Test
Although Gill scored a massive 269-run inning, he nearly missed out on a chance of getting a triple century. If he had done so, Gill would have become only the third Indian to achieve this feat.
Post the day's play, BCCI shared Gill's post-game routine, which consisted of his recovery, media interactions, fan interactions, and a sweet voice message from his parents.
The message from his parents made the Indian skipper a tad emotional.
His father said, "Shubman beta, well played. Aaj teri batting dekhke bahut maza aaya. Aur dil mein bahut shukun mila, bahut hi proud feel huwa." (“Shubman beta, well played. Watching your batting today gave me so much joy. It brought immense peace to my heart, and I felt very proud.”)
His mother added, "Bahut achcha laga tumhari batting dekhkar. Keep going, God bless you." (“Really loved watching you bat. Keep going, God bless you.”)
An emotional Gill responded to this saying, "This message means a lot to me. Growing up, I played almost all my cricket for my dad. He and my best friend are the only people I listen to when it comes to cricket. But yes it also reminded me that I missed my triple hundred.”
Gill's knock was not only big for him, but it could well prove to be the difference going forward in the series. He stitched some crucial partnerships with Jadeja and Sundar who themselves batted well.
India in control after Shubman Gill’s record knock
England are reeling behind in the second Test, being reduced to 77 for 3. The bowlers ensured that their captain's efforts were not in vain as they stepped up and clinched three crucial wickets before the end of day's play.
While Gill missed his triple ton, his innings surely was a match or even a series-defining one. The innings has set the template for the Indian batters going forward in the series, to stick around and score big runs.