Not many expected Shubman Gill and India to do what they have done in England. Coming into the series, on the back of the horror Border-Gavaskar series and the home whitewash to New Zealand, the mood for Test cricket was not as high as it should have been.
Reason - no poster boy Virat Kohli, no experienced leader Rohit Sharma, no Ravi Ashwin. A young team boarded the flight to England, in a new World Test Championship cycle, under a new captain Shubman Gill.
Gill had many things to prove. His batting average was not doing justice to the kind of player he is. His record at SENA nations before this was underwhelming. Coming into the England series, Gill's Test average read 35.05, something which even all-rounders can do. His average in SENA nations (he played in all three except New Zealand) before this series read 25.70 with no century to his name.
Zoom to August 4. Gill's average reads 41.35 overall and 42.26 in SENA. Centuries in SENA have gone from zero to four in a single series.
Gill had a spectacular series with the bat, one that will be remembered for ages to come. Series like these are very rare for captains.
He scored 754 runs in the series, second-most by any captain in a single series, and is only behind Don Bradman's 810. His 754 runs are the second-most by an Indian batter ever, 20 short of Sunil Gavaskar's 774.
Gill's masterclasses with the bat
Gill produced a batting masterclass in the first Test as he set things up with a century at Leeds in the first innings. While his ton came in a losing cause, Gill had done enough to inspire a fighting spirit in the team.
He put up a jaw-dropping display in the second Test as he slammed 269 in the first innings and then 161 in the second. He became the first-ever player to have hit a double hundred and a 150+ score in the same Test. India won by a huge margin of 336 runs in the second Test.
Gill's dip in form at Lord's and the Crawley saga
Gill then endured a dip in form and had a heated exchange with England opener Zak Crawley. Gill made 16 in the first innings and then six in the second. He was involved in an exchange with Crawley late on Day 3 of the Test after the opener was killing time to avoid an extra over.
He was booed by the England fans in the second innings and had a low-scoring game. Gill then made 12 in the first innings of the fourth Test.
Gill's strong reply
However, the India captain replied strongly in the second innings with a masterclass. With India in a deep hole and staring at losing the series, being 0/2 down in the second innings and trailing by 311 runs, Gill put up a masterclass. India were trailing 1-2 in the series and needed something from their batters with a defeat staring on them.
Tall stood Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as they saved India and ensured the Test ended in a draw.
Gill managed his bowlers extremely well in the series and it was on display during the fifth Test, when India were with three pacers and two spinners. With conditions not aiding the spinners, Gill rotated his pacers well as they put pressure on England and ultimately clinched the game.
The Indian team played with two spinners in the previous two Tests, including the Oval one, where England went with all pace attack. There were people calling out India's approach and the need to have more batters with them and not bringing outright attacking options like Kuldeep Yadav. But, Gill and India did what they felt doing and at the end, it's 2-2. As they say, it's all well if it ends well.
