Kensington Oval (London), 3 August (H.S.): India's captain Shubman Gill received a unique gift from cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar after narrowly missing his chance to break Gavaskar's record for the most runs by an Indian in a Test series. Gill finished the series with 754 runs, just 20 runs shy of Gavaskar's total of 774. During the series, he showed great batting promise but was dismissed for a mere 11 runs in the final match by a delivery from Gus Atkinson that did him in.
After the Test concluded, Gavaskar gifted Gill a shirt emblazoned with the initials SG and a special cap that he bestows on only a select few players. Gavaskar expressed his hope that Gill, despite missing the record, would aim to surpass it in future matches. He remarked, I have got a gift for you in anticipation of you going past (me). At least you got something to aim for in the next series. It is just a little gift... This is a cap which I give to very few people with my signature. All the best.
Gavaskar's thoughtful gesture was captured in a video that gained traction on social media. The sentiment behind the gift aims to motivate Gill in his cricketing journey ahead. During the final moments of the match, Gill's strategic acumen was evident as he collaborated with pacer Mohammed Siraj.
India devised a clever tactic to unsettle the opposing batsman Zak Crawley. They set up a field indicative of a bouncer but caught the batsman off-guard with a well-executed yorker bowled by Siraj, leading to Crawley's wicket. Gavaskar praised this tactic and pledged to wear his lucky jacket, the same one he wore during India's historic Gabba Test win in Australia, hoping to bring good fortune to the ongoing match.
As the context stands, with England needing to chase down a target of 374 runs and India just nine wickets away from victory, the stakes are high. The match was poised with two days remaining for play, making each moment critical as both teams vie for supremacy on the field. Gill's performance, alongside the encouragement from Gavaskar, set the stage for what could be an exciting finish to the series, showcasing the depth of talent in Indian cricket and the legacy of its legends.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
