LONDON :Shubman Gill celebrated his first series as India captain by leading his team to a dramatic victory in the fifth test against England at The Oval on Monday to share a series 2-2 in which the result has been in doubt until the final day of each match.
“There are moments like this when you feel the journey is worth it,” Gill said at the post-match press conference.
“There have been a lot of highs and lows. That’s kind of expected, especially with sport. Obviously, every time you go in to bat you want to score a century but that’s not how the game of life works.
“You should be able to navigate through the high and lows of life. I wanted to stay balanced. I’m still learning but so far so good.”
Gill, 25, was appointed captain in May following the retirement of two great Indian batsmen and leaders in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also quit test cricket while the world’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was rested for two tests in this series, including the Oval match.
Gill has responded magnificently with the bat, scoring four centuries and finishing with an average of 75.40 in his first seven weeks as captain, the second-highest aggregate as a skipper behind Australia’s Don Bradman.
The final test ended when Gill’s outstanding pace bowler Mohammad Siraj, who bowled with undiminished vigour throughout the match, yorked Gus Atkinson to give his team victory by six runs.
“What happened this morning summarised what this team is all about,” Gill said. “This team believes if there is some kind of opening we can get through that opening.”
He noted that the dismissals of Yorkshire pair Harry Brook and then Joe Root on Sunday evening had been that opening.
“Seventy runs on day four, even 50 runs they would be under pressure,” Gill said.
Gill added that his four hundreds in the series had carried a different significance.
“Each of them has a story and each of them means a lot to me,” he said.
Siraj who finished with five for 104, said his plan had been to hit a consistent length and build.
“Everything from there was a bonus,” he added.
(Reportig by John Mehaffey; Editing by Ken Ferris)
