Shubman Gill's father, Lakhwinder Singh, gave a standing ovation to his son after he got to his fifth Test century in the first match against Bangladesh at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Gill did not have a great start to the Test match. He was out for a duck after getting strangled down the leg side by Hasan Mahmud in the first innings but the youngster more than made up for it in the second innings.

Gill remained unbeaten on 119 off 176 balls with 10 fours and four sixes when India captain Rohit Sharma decided to call the Indian batters in. India declared their second innings on 285/4, giving Bangladesh a huge target of 515 runs. It was possible mainly due to Gill's flawless knock.

Gill got to his landmark with a tap to mid-wicket off Mehidy Hasan Miraz's bowling in the 60th over. He took his helmet off and bowed to the crowd, where his father, Lakhwinder, was also present. Lakhwinder, who played an immensely important role in shaping Gill's career in the early days, had a beaming smile on his face.

The Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant masterclass

Gill and Pant (109, 128b, 148m, 13x4, 4x6) led the hosts’ run glut with an alliance of 167 off 217 balls for the fourth wicket. However, numbers have no relevance on the day as hundreds by Pant and Gill were more a testimony of their will to rise above towering personal obstacles.

Pant’s turmoil has been widely-documented after that horrifying car crash in December 2022, and the way he reacted after reaching his sixth Test hundred with a two off Shakib Al-Hasan underscored the value he attached to the knock.

Gill’s struggles have been not as pronounced as Pant’s as they were more mental than physical in nature, stemming from the lack of confidence in himself in the traditional format.

However, since making that hundred against England at Visakhapatnam earlier this year, Gill seemed to have turned a corner and he further validated that journey upwards with his fifth Test hundred. Minimalism is quintessential to Gill's batting as he plays shots with little flourish.

The short-arm pull from in front of the face or that zero follow-through punch through the covers, which he often executed off Nahid Rana and Mahmud Hasan, might not be out of the batting manual but productive nonetheless.

Gill milked a further 53 runs off 51 balls with KL Rahul for the fifth wicket to take India’s lead past 500.

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