TimesofIndia.com in London: Four Tests, 20 days of hard-fought
cricket, and the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is still alive as the two teams head into the finale at The Oval. The 2-1 scoreline, currently in favour of England, could have gone either way, and while India would be disappointed not to have it in their favour, they still have a bright shot at scoring the equaliser in London. Very little has separated the two sides since the opening Test in Leeds, but England have been the better side at closing the crucial moments, which have had a bigger impact on the complexion of the match.
A new-look squad under new captain Shubman Gill was always going to find it challenging in this part of the world, but the slightly inexperienced side, undergoing a transition of sorts, gave a very good account of their skills and temperament in crunch situations. If anyone had predicted them to be this competitive and alive in the series after four Tests, they would have welcomed it with arms wide open when they left home in the first week of June. Almost two months and 59 sessions of hard-fought cricket later, the new coach-captain combination of Gautam Gambhir and Gill can well return home with a hand on the trophy, and a well-deserved scoreline of 2-2.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It wasn't a partnership which took the organic route, as the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the availability concerns of Jasprit Bumrah meant India went looking for a young captain. Gill became the unanimous choice, and even though his exploits with the bat, especially away from home in the format, raised some questions, he got the backing of men who matter in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and even well-wishers of Indian cricket. They saw potential and a leader in the making, and he has responded in emphatic fashion with the bat - 722 runs in four matches.
The more you hear from him, the more you see him operate in the middle, the more you get a sense of the blueprint of Gill, the captain, the leader. The accidental partnership with Gambhir is also growing on the job, and the mutual respect and admiration between the two is a trailer of the potential blockbuster. It's only the Tests right now, but the partnership will sooner rather than later extend to the limited-overs too. That is a discussion for some other day.
On the eve of the fifth Test, Gill was repeatedly asked about Gambhir's heated argument with the chief curator, but the Indian captain didn't make any politically correct statements. He stood by his coach, didn't quite understand "what the fuss was about," and termed the entire episode as unnecessary.
"What happened yesterday, I thought, is just absolutely unnecessary. I mean, it's not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket. And we have, we have been here for almost, I think two months. And like I said, a coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket. And I didn't think that there was anything wrong with that. I actually don't know why, why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket," said Gill.
From a boy who used to come up with the choicest words during the media interactions, Gill has grown into the job and become far more expressive and candid with every session. He doesn't mind a laugh, takes the criticism on the chin and even while keeping cards close to his chest, drops substantial hints. The coach is a completely different personality when it comes to press conferences, and even otherwise, but the partnership is coming along nicely and could well be a defining one as the team gets ready for bigger challenges in the near future.
By no means was the England tour a cakewalk. They have had to grapple with injury issues, availability concerns of their trump card Bumrah, movement of players in the batting order, quick-fixes to add depth, but one challenge at a time, they have dealt with it in their own fashion and stand just one push away from what will be a "significant" achievement.
"Very significant. I mean, if you look at the kind of cricket that we have played, sometimes the scorecard of the series, as in where we are in the series, doesn't determine that. I think every match that we have played, it was very difficult to decide which team is going to win after four days of cricket. If we are able to do that for every match, for four matches coming outside of India with a relatively young team, I think it is going to be a big achievement for us if we are able to level the series. And the series has been a great learning curve for me. You know, there are some things that only experience, that you can only learn from experience. And I've learned so much from these four matches that we have played. And hopefully, we are going to finish on a high," said Gill with a lot of optimism and confidence.
Before the series opener, he had said that he wanted to be the best batter in the series. After the Leeds defeat, Gambhir defended his young players and was not ready to single out any individual or moment responsible for the result.
Cut to July 30: The two have stuck to their guns, literally walked the talk and are on the cusp of doing not many would have expected them to do in their maiden assignment together - challenge England in their own backyard and return with one hand on the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!