"Bhar bhar ke drive maar raha hoon": Gill plays Pant's spin ahead of 2nd Test
Sep 26, 2024
Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 26 : Shubman Gill continued to fine-tune his approach against spinners ahead of India's second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, beginning on Friday.
During India's practice session, ahead of the 2nd Test in Green Park, Gill practiced cover drives with Rishabh Pant giving it a go with the ball and trying to bowl spin deliveries.
"Pakdna Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai bhar bhar ke drive maar raha hoon (I will hit a lot of drives)," Gill said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
https://x.com/BCCI/status/1839215434006147284
When Pant took the ball, KL Rahul didn't hold himself back to remind the wicketkeeper batter about the time he bowled in the Delhi Premier League.
Pant managed to beat Gill once, and his reaction summed it up, "Kya beat kara hai yaar (What a way to beat the batter)."
Skipper Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were also among the players present during the nets session.
Team India arrived in Kanpur on Tuesday.
The new era of head coach Gautam Gambhir in the Test format began on a triumphant note, as in his first Test match as India's head coach, the hosts cruised to a momentous 280-run victory over Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Gill stood unbeaten with a 119-run knock in the second inning. His 167-run partnership with Rishabh Pant kept Bangladesh's threat at bay.
Ravichandran Ashwin was named the 'Player of the Match' in the first Test against Bangladesh. He played a crucial 113-run knock from 133 balls in the first inning.The 38-year-old bagged a six-wicket haul in the second inning, which helped India clinch a 280-run win on day four of the Chennai Test.
Ashwin's spell in the second inning marked his 37th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, tying him with legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne for the second-most five-wicket hauls in Test history. The only player ahead of Ashwin is Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who has 67.
