1st Test: I’ve seen him work so hard for this, Gill praises Pant after stellar Test comeback

Chennai, Sep 21 (IANS) Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 119 runs saw India gain the upper hand in the first Test match between India and Bangladesh on Day 3 at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium here on Saturday. Alongside Gill, Rishab Pant, who made his comeback to Test cricket in the series, stitched a 167-run partnership which helped the hosts declare with a lead of 515 runs.

Pant’s comeback to the national team has been nothing short of emotional. The 26-year-old wicket-keeper batter scored 109 runs in the second innings before being dismissed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Following the game, Gill opened up on Pant’s return to the side.

"I've spent a lot of time with him on and off the field and watching him score his 1st, 51st, 100 after his comeback gives me so much pleasure because I've seen him work so hard for it when, you know when he was coming back from the injury and I. And I think he also must be feeling really good," said Gill in the day-end press conference.

Gill's century saw him move past Virat Kohli and take the No. 2 position in the list of batters with the most centuries for India in the World Test Championship. The century on Saturday against Bangladesh is Gill’s fifth century in Test cricket as well as WTC, which has now helped him go past Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Mayank Agarwal’s tally of four centuries each.

The overall record of scoring most centuries for India in WTC history is in the name of captain Rohit Sharma. The 37-year-old right-handed batter has crossed the 100-run mark nine times in 33 WTC matches played so far.

"Scoring runs against any opposition gives you a lot of confidence and that's what I've been working on, so it gives me a lot of satisfaction, I practised before the series. I had certain plans, so I think I executed them. It's about having a good defense, but then also not missing out on the opportunities that you get as a batsman to be able to score runs.

"I started practising when I was very young because I was always a tall guy, so it was easier for me to be able to use my feet and play along the ground. Playing in the air and hitting sixes actually came a bit later when I got a little bit more power in my body. But initially, when I used to practice, especially against spinners, it used to be a lot more me stepping down, trying to rotate. Because it's then hard for bowlers to settle on a wicket like this, where the odd one is turning but not all the balls are turning,” he added.

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