New Delhi: Star Indian opener Shubman Gill addressed the absence of senior players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah and said it will affect the team a little in a press conference ahead of the 4th Test between India and England in Ranchi, on 23 February. However, he said this is also an opportunity for the young players to prove their potential.
The young Indian brigade helped Team India to bounce back from the loss in the opening Test and gain a lead of 2-1 heading into the fourth Test with their dominant performance in Vizag and Rajkot.
As they aim to clinch the series, India faces a challenging task due to the absence of key players. Jasprit Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets, will be rested to manage his workload. Additionally, KL Rahul is still recovering from injury, and Virat Kohli continues to be on leave after welcoming his second child.
While the bowlers have earned their plaudits in the series, the Indian batters, including Shubman Gill, came under the scanner after a rare defeat in the first Test.
Like the other batters, Gill too bounced back and played an important role in India’s two wins with a century in the second match and 90 in the previous match.
“We have scored close to 400 in the first innings of every match so far in the series. Every batter can’t score big runs in every game, everyone goes through ups and downs,” said Gill in the pre-match press conference.
“In the first match, multiple players scored over 80. In the second match, Yashavi Jaiswal scored a double hundred. In the previous match, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries.
“It’s not that only one batter is performing. Everybody is chipping in with runs and that’s why we are able to put close to 400 runs on board every time.
In the absence of big players, the youngsters have put their hands up. In the third Test, Sarafaraz Khan scored twin fifties on his debut while Dhruv Jurel was brilliant with the bat and the gloves, his run-out of Ben Duckett in the second innings proving to be a game-changing moment.
Shubman Gill has expressed confidence in the young players, endorsing their ability to sustain the momentum in the series.
“Virat Kohli hasn’t been with us for three matches. Obviously, when a player of Kohli calibre isn’t available, it does make a little difference but in his place, the way Sarfaraz Khan recently batted, he did very well,” said Gill.
“New players are getting opportunities and they are grabbing them.
“Just like Kohli, any time Jasprit Bumrah isn’t playing, it’s a huge miss for the team. He is the leader of our fast-bowling attack but the way Mohammed Siraj bowled in the last game, where he picked four wickets in the first innings, our bowlers are experienced enough in Indian conditions to execute the reverse swing.”
“The way the youngsters have performed in the absence of key players has been great. They are aware that this opportunity has come because of the absence of the senior stars, so everyone has been giving their best.”
