Published 20:14 IST, January 28th 2021
R Ashwin reveals why he was stunned by debutant Shubman Gill's confidence in MCG Test
Veteran offie R Ashwin revealed how he was puzzled by the confidence shown by debutant Shubman Gill during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG last month
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Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled a funny conversation between him and youngster Shubman Gill during the second Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last month. Gill, who was warming the bench during the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval got an opportunity in the following Test match (Boxing Day) at the iconic MCG.
'Jaldi khatam kar do': R Ashwin
The incident happened during the backend of Australia's second innings on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test when Gill had urged the offie to quickly end the proceedings with the ball in hand so that he could get the job done instantly with the bat. However, what really stood out here is the young opener assuring 'Ash' that he would help India chase the target within five overs.
“I am a big fan of Shubman Gill’s batting. Even in the Melbourne Test, this is an incident I wanted to share. We were bowling and the wicket got flat. We were bowling to Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and they were showing resistance. And Cameron Green was caught at square leg off a pull and Shubman came running to me and said, “Ash Bhai, Jaldi khatam kar do yaar! 40-50 runs hoga toh main paanch over mein khatam karoonga!", said R Ashwin while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“I was like, ‘wow, this is unreal man’. We have a debutant who is walking up to say ‘khatam karo, finish it’ and I will finish in five overs and that too in a Test match,” the Tamil Nadu cricketer added.
There was no looking back for the Punjab batsman after his dream Test debut at the MCG as he finished with 259 runs in three matches.
Gill plays a fearless knock in series-decider at the Gabba
The ICC U-19 2018 World Cup winner laid a solid foundation with an outstanding knock of 91 in the second innings as India chased a stiff target of 328 to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy and even though he ended up missing out on his maiden Test century after being caught at first slip by Steve Smith off Nathan Lyon, it was an impactful knock as the Men In Blue ended up registering a historic win to seal the four-match series 2-1 and register back-to-back Test series wins Down Under.
At the same time, the Men In Blue also breached Australia's fortress Gabba after a long wait of nearly 33 years. The Aussies had not lost a single Test match at the venue since 1988 and prior to the final Test match against India, they had a 28-match unbeaten streak in the longest format.
20:14 IST, January 28th 2021