Shubman Gill reminded national selectors of his unmistakable talent in the Caribbean Islands by smashing a double hundred in the unofficial Test match between India A and West Indies A. Having made a golden duck in the first innings of the Test, Gill went on to slam 204 in 250 balls after walking in at number four.
Having played for India in New Zealand before the World Cup, Gill was surprisingly omitted from the squads for the tour of West Indies. In the aftermath of the World Cup exit, India were expected to bring in a few youngsters and Gill, at 19 years, seemed among the first few names on their radar.
This was until the Chairman of Selectors, MSK Prasad clarified that he "will have to wait for his turn". Gill has a List A average of 47.36 and a stunning first-class average of 75.26. He has nine tons across formats, including the latest double hundred. At 19 years and 334 days, Gill is now the youngest Indian to make a double hundred in first-class cricket. This record was previously held by Gautam Gambhir.
Since setting foot in the West Indian islands, Gill has shown why his selection is long overdue. Across formats, he has registered scores of 204, 0, 40, 69, 77, 62 and 10 (latest first).
The youngster hadn't hidden his disappointment at not being selected either. "I was waiting for the Indian senior team to be announced on Sunday and I expected to be selected for at least one of the squads. It was disappointing not to get picked but I am not going to spend time thinking over it. I'll keep scoring runs and performing to the best of my ability to impress the selectors."
In the List A half of the tour, Gill topped the run charts with 218 runs in four games. In the Indian T20 League, Gill has shown his ability to stand up to world-class bowlers. In spite of being moved around the batting order at the Kolkata franchise, Gill has averaged 32.31 and struck at a rate of 132.9.
A young prodigy, Gill had proven his temperament and maturity at a young age. In the Under-16 Punjab district tournament, Gill hit 351, sharing a record opening stand of 587 with Nirmal Singh. That he is only 19 is no excuse to keep Gill out any longer. Neither is a two-match spell in New Zealand.
With the ODI and T20I tournaments some time away, this is the ideal time to blood Gill and give him a few easy games upfront. Though the Test Championship has begun, India had a fairly easy assignment against the Windies and Gill ought to have been in the squad at least. But now that the damage has been done, picking him for the home series against South Africa next month is the only redemption. Is there any point in waiting further?
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Marty Melville
