‘New players grabbing opportunities’

Shubman Gill, the Indian cricket star, commended the youngsters for stepping up in the absence of senior teammates leading up to the fourth Test against England.

India has showcased remarkable resilience in the series, bouncing back from a 1-0 deficit in Hyderabad to lead 2-1 after securing significant victories 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.

"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."

The action now heads to Ranchi for the fourth Test, starting Friday, 23 February.