India vs England: Can Gill and Iyer fill the Virat-void?

On Tuesday, Shubman Gill was named India’s men cricketer of 2023. On Wednesday, a day before India’s first Test against England, he turned up for a full-on nets session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It’s a rare sight because most first-eleven regulars skip the match-eve practice session. Mostly, only the back-ups turn up, more in the hope of an opportunity opening up at the last minute.

But few batsmen in India’s line-up, weakened by the absence of Virat Kohli, would be as under pressure as Gill could be. So he slogged for a good couple of hours in the nets under the unusually searing January sun. After starting off against seamers, he quickly shifted to facing the spinners (all net bowlers). Having struggled in the past against off-spinners, he would seek one out and instruct him to bowl a bit slower through the air as he alternated between attack and defence. There were times when he was beaten on the outside edge. Gill would often respond with an aggressive shot.

Once Gill became confident, he would scruff the surface with his spikes on the fourth-fifth stump channel around the full and good length areas. The off-spinner would test him by constantly targeting the rough patch, with the odd ball keeping low and jumping. Considering his returns in Test cricket in the recent past, the first two against England are of huge significance for Gill.

Since scoring a century in the last home Test, against Australia in Ahmedabad, his highest score has been 36 in seven innings. Before the squad for the first two Tests was announced, there were even deliberations over his spot, but the management kept his faith in him, waiting for him to crack the consistency code in the longest format, as he has in the ODIs, where he has been India’s most bankable batsman in the last 15 months.

Wanted: daddy tons

For a batsman who averages a whopping 61.37 in ODIs, the mean in Tests is only 30.58. It could be argued that he has batted in harsh conditions, both home and away, after his breakout debut series in Australia. At the start of their careers, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma all got tall scores as India mostly played on the traditional flat decks that took time to wear and tear. But Gill has seldom had that luxury. Of course, there have been odd ones in Chennai, Kanpur, Wankhede and Ahmedabad, where he has one fifty and a century. But given his talent, he can surely master tough conditions too.

He had the sympathies of coach Rahul Dravid. “Starting out his journey as a cricketer, sometimes you forget that it takes people a little bit of time. Some guys have success instantly. Actually he’s one of those guys. He’s done really well in some of his early tours, especially in Australia,” he points out.

“To be fair to him and a lot of the young guys, a lot of them have played on really challenging wickets, whether it’s in India or overseas, over the last two-three years. It gets quite hard at times. So just hoping that over the course of this five-match series he has some big performances,” adds Rahul Dravid, who has seen him progress from India U-19 to the senior side.

Ever since Dravid came on board, India have been looking at Gill as a No 3, thanks to the aggressive approach. Having spent the last 23 years on two old-school No 3s, who were rock solid, India went for Gill because they perceive the role has changed. In bowler-friendly conditions, most modern teams seek aggressive batsmen. India are going with the tide. So from the West Indies, he has been occupying the spot. There would not be a better time for Gill to show his prowess than when there is a Kohli-sized hole in the line-up.

Iyer’s pangs

If Gill has his own headaches, so has Shreyas Iyer. If Kohli was around, there would have been deliberations whether to bench him, more so given the form of KL Rahul. He is a destructive player of spin bowling, arguably the second best in the team after Rohit Sharma, capable of changing the course of the match in a session.

In his brief Test career so far Shreyas has taken the team out of trouble with counter-attacking knocks. Revisit his knocks in Kanpur, Bengaluru, Chattogram and Mirpur, you will get the drift.

Although his away numbers may deceive, in subcontinental conditions, his approach and game-plan look totally the part. Not often has he looked rattled by the conditions and tried anything silly. However, his meagre returns in recent times— 112 runs in the last 10 innings—will invariably pile pressure on him to score big runs. England would try to rattle him with the raw pace and bounce of Mark Wood, and it’s upon him to prove that he can handle it adeptly. Wood is a master at bowling from around the stumps with a packed leg-side field, the ball aimed towards his ribs. How he deals with those traps would go a long way in extending his Test career.

With Kohli not around, for India to start on a strong note, it is essential for both Gill and Shreyas to step up. Last year, especially with the World Cup looming, they walked away from the shadows of Kohli and Rohit, and became an integral part of a side. Having ticked that box, the five-match Test series provides them an opportunity to do the same in Tests.

When Kohli pulled out, Rohit admitted that the thought of going back to experienced players (Cheteshwar Pujara) did occur for the team management and selectors. “Look, actually, we did think about it (going back to a senior player). But all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That’s something we thought, I thought as well,” Rohit admitted. It’s time Gill and Iyer repaid the captain’s trust, to keep their spot as well as the country’s proud home record intact.

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