It is not quite effortless for a batter to alter his technique even a tiny bit after he finds initial success with it. First of all, tweaking technique isn’t easy, and it also puts a batter’s ego in a tough place. Thinking that he has dominated the arena with the same technique and nuance, a batter needs to be open-minded in order to evolve with time. This is exactly what Shubman Gill showed recently.
Shubman Gill, the new Test master
The newly appointed Indian Test captain didn’t just turn up with a new title, but he turned up with a new technique, a calmer head, and, crucially, wisdom borrowed from three men who know the English challenge better than most – Sachin Tendulkar, Kane Williamson and Steven Smith.
Shubman Gill’s tally of 754 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy stunned critics who had once doubted his place in India’s XI, let alone his credentials to lead. The debate was unsurprising as well since Gill had no Test hundreds in SENA countries prior to the England Test series. He was showing technical frailties as a batter, something that was going against his aura of being ‘Prince of Indian Cricket’.
But as reported by The Times of India, his preparation wasn’t limited to throwdowns and red Dukes balls in the nets even during the IPL season. Instead, he picked up the phone and sought counsel from batting masters whose advice, he felt, could shape his destiny.
What Tendulkar, Smith & Williamson teach Gill
Each of the conversations brought something different to Gill’s game. Smith, who has thrived in hostile English conditions with his unorthodox technique and mental toughness, spoke to him about surviving the first 45 minutes. He asked for shadow practice, train muscle memory and trusting the process. Williamson, who is a master in playing late and close to his body, reminded Gill to play close with soft hands, never chasing the drive that English seamers tempt you into.
And then came the most nerve-wracking call of them all. Gill, by his own admission, was shivering when he spoke to Tendulkar. The Master Blaster, who crafted iconic innings in England in 1996, 2002 and 2007, eased the nerves with jokes before pointing out a small but crucial flaw: the angle of Gill’s bat face.
Tendulkar explained that turning the blade slightly towards mid-off would shut the gap between bat and pad, redirecting risky inside edges safely towards square leg. Prior to the Test series, Gill had a frustrating habit of planting his left foot too far across, while also keeping his face of the bat towards squarer on the on-side. While it helped him generate some power if the ball was short, the stance made it extremely difficult for him to tackle late incoming deliveries with pace. After all the suggestions and conversations with the legends of the game, Gill tweaked his stance big time as he wasn’t putting his foot across the body and let the ball come to him.
The beauty of Gill’s 754 runs was not just the sheer weight of them but how they came. He was quite compact and adjusted with a stubborn refusal to let old mistakes creep back. In doing so, he didn’t just surpass Graham Gooch’s long-standing series record in England; he also leapfrogged tallies of Sunil Gavaskar (most runs as a Test captain in a series) and Virat Kohli’s (first Asian to score 700+ in SENA).
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