AUS vs IND 2nd Test: Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane was also in awe of Gill's batting display against the Australian bowling set-up.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane rose to the occasion as India bounced back from the Adelaide horror to defeat Australia by eight wickets in the second Test match at the MCG. Led by Rahane's stellar ton in the first innings, the touring party thumped the Aussies in Melbourne to level the four-Test series 1-1.
Indian bowling unit also stepped up by bowling the hosts for just 200 in the first session of Day 4, setting an easy target of 70 to chase in the second innings. Debutant Mohammed Siraj registered 3/37 while Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin scalped two wickets each to put India in a commanding position on the fourth day.
The second debutant, Shubman Gill, also had a memorable outing at the MCG, having scored 45 and 35 in the first and second innings respectively. After coming into the side as out-of-form Prithvi Shaw's replacement, Gill justified his selection with his elegant strokeplay in both the innings.
Showering praise on the Punjab youngster, former India opener Wasim Jaffer said that Shubman is 'special'. Jaffer, however, asked everyone to not put the young lad under pressure by comparing him with others.
"Shubman is special but please let him enjoy his cricket and grow into his career. Don't compare him to anyone and put undue pressure on him. He's not next somebody he's first Shubman Gill. We've lost many great talents due to undue pressure and unreal expectations," tweeted Jaffer.
Skipper Rahane was also in awe of Gill's batting display against the Australian bowling set-up.
“That (five-bowler plan) worked well for us nicely. We were thinking of having an all-rounder and Jadeja has been brilliant for us. Shubman, we all know his First-class career and in this game, he has shown the intent to play shots at this level. Has shown composure," said Rahane after the victory.
