'Felt pretty good': Shubman Gill expresses relief after scoring vital hundred on Day 3 of 2nd Test

After a horror show in Hyderabad and the squandering of opportunity in the first innings in Visakhapatnam, Shubman Gill has finally released the pressure that was mounted. On Day 3 of the 2nd India vs England Test, Shubman Gill fired from all cylinders and registered a vital century for Team India. Courtesy of Gill's sensational knock, India have set up a fourth-innings target of 399 for England.

Shubman Gill has ended the spree of failures with a reverberating hundred in the 2nd innings of the 2nd IND vs ENG Test. The right-hander was under the scanner for constantly failing to capitalise on the start, but Sunday turned out to be different for Shubman. He followed his regular approach and kept scoring with a positive mindset to get to his third Test ton. Owing to the standards he has set, he was definitely capable of turning the century into a hefty innings, however, his eventful knock came to an end at 104.

Following the culmination of Day 3, Shubman Gill has expressed satisfaction over the way he has played and elaborated on his innings.

“It was very important and very satisfying for me to be able to score runs at number three. It felt pretty good, especially in the situation given when we lost Yashasvi and Rohit, as they were really good at giving us good starts at the top of the order.

“I think it was important for us to get a big lead and to be able to get as many runs as possible,” said Gill, who survived two close DRS calls early in his innings before gaining confidence.

“It felt good. I just thought the job was not done for the team. So, that's why it was a little mellowed celebration,” he said.

“I think it's very important to stay true to who you are and how you have gotten there. Sometimes if you get over-defensive or over-aggressive or try to play or try to be someone that you are not, then you are prolonging those innings.
"Then you're sometimes not able to get out of that shell that was my thing going into this Test that I'm going to play how I've played my cricket throughout,” Gill shared his thoughts on dealing with the lean phase.

Gill felt England will find it tough to chase down a record 399 on day four. He was also asked about England chasing a mammoth 378 against India rather comfortably in Edgbaston in 2022.

“As the game goes on, it will have variable bounce as we saw today. It is not turning as much as the other pitches but it is definitely doing something. It is not easy to score runs here.

“England are never out of the game. I think this is a different kind of wicket than what we played at Edgbaston.

Having said that, the morning session will be very important for us as we have seen there is always a bit of moisture coming at the start of the day. That will be the key for us,” 

(With inputs from PTI)