PUNE: At the start of the year ahead of India’s Test series against England, the talking point was how India would cope with the absence of Virat Kohli, who was on paternity leave. To make things worse, after the first Test which India lost, a bigger headache stared at India when KL Rahul reported injured. With two seasoned batters not available for the remaining four Tests, it was heartwarming that younger players came and fitted in, powering India to a 4-1 series victory.

On the other hand, when Shubman Gill sat out the first Test against New Zealand due to a neck issue, his absence was felt in Bengaluru. The 25-year-old occupies the pivotal No.3 spot. The Indian management’s decision to push Virat Kohli to No.3 was unconvincing. It affected the balance of the entire line-up with disastrous consequences.

The role of the No.3 is also shielding the best batter of the side, who usually occupies No.4. The conditions on the first morning of the Test at M Chinnaswamy Stadium offered considerable help to the pacers. Kohli was exposed to the new ball and there was no one to hold the rest of the innings once he fell early. The result was India were 46 all out, their lowest total at home, and eventually lost the match by eight wickets.

It underlined Gill’s value to the side. The Punjab batter has matured since the extra responsibility fell on him in the England series after Kohli and Rahul were unavailable.

While Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal came in and made a difference, the lynchpin of the Indian middle-order in the series was Gill. It was impressive how he took over the mantle from the two senior pros.

The Indian team was in a similar situation as in this series, having lost the first Test at Hyderabad. Gill was under pressure after an insipid batting show there. The transformation into a batter who the team could bank on in crisis happened in the second innings at Visakhapatnam after Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply. Gill crafted a skilful century (104 off 147 balls in a total of 255), to put game beyond England by setting a target of 399 and help level the series 1-1. He hasn’t looked back he gained confidence from that second innings effort in which the second highest score was Axar Patel’s 45. A second innings 91 followed in the third Test win at Rajkot.

Batting in the fourth innings of a Test in India is a different ball game because of the extra help spinners get owing to the wear and tear of the pitch. Gill came of age in the fourth Test. After setting a 192-run fourth innings target, England fancied their chances of winning to level the series 2-2. It was going to be a tricky chase against tall off-spinner Shoaib Basheer, who was extracting awkward bounce. After the openers shared an 84-run stand, the England spinners took control, claiming five quick wickets to reduce India to 120/5.

Gill though batted masterfully against Basheer with his long reach to get the rest of the 62 runs in partnership with Dhruv Jurel. It was batting against spin at its best. A 110 in the final Test at Dharamsala was icing on the cake.

Gill underlined his quality with another superb second innings hundred in the first Test against Bangladesh after Rohit Sharma and Kohli fell early along with Jaiswal.

The rewards for Gill this season have been a result of his work ethic. The difference between others and Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root is their amount of training. Gill is similar. It was seen in his preparation for the Pune Test. He has batted for hours over the last two days.

The No.3 spot became the talking point after the first Test debacle. Gill’s return will provide India’s batting line-up the right balance and a formidable look with everyone going back to their original positions. While Gill has improved his game in home conditions – tightening his defence to play spin better – he has always been solid off the backfoot against the rising ball.

The tall New Zealand pacers, especially the 6’4” William O’Rourke, had troubled the India batters by generating awkward bounce in Bengaluru. With Gill at No.3, India will be confident of blunting that threat. Tipped to take over the mantle from Kohli, Gill’s next target must be to lift his average (36.80) into the 50s. He is getting there, having averaged over 56 against England and over 54 against Bangladesh. A similar, strong showing is on the cards in the next two Tests.

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