ENG vs IND: India assistant coach reacts to Shubman Gill’s unfortunate run out

Gill’s dismissal came at a critical time when the visitors were beginning to rebuild on Day 1 of the fifth Test against England at The Oval. After losing both openers in the first session, India had begun to recover in challenging batting conditions through a promising partnership between Gill and Sai Sudharsan.

Looking to steal a quick single off Gus Atkinson, the Indian skipper pushed the ball with a forward stride, sending it gently between the bowler and the fielder at cover. Gill was quick to call for a risky single, but there was no run on offer. Atkinson gathered the ball and fired a direct hit at the striker’s end. Gill was well short of his ground-nowhere even in the frame-and had to depart after scoring 21 off 35 deliveries.

“I’m assuming not as frustrating as it is for him. He’s in the touch of his life, and made batting look really easy for the 40 minutes or whatever he was out there. These mistakes do happen. England actually bowled nicely in that little spell. I thought all batters today accumulated really well around the stumps, but that is a misjudgement of a run. I think, given what he has done in the first four Tests, we’ll let him get away with that one,” Doeschate said during the post-match press conference after stumps on Day 1.

ENG vs IND:This was only the second time Gill has been dismissed via run-out in his Test career-the first also coming against England, during the 2024 series in Rajkot. Despite the unfortunate exit, the day still offered much to celebrate for the young captain. Earlier in the innings, Gill became the highest-scoring Indian captain in a Test series, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s 732-run mark set against the West Indies in 1978-79. He reached the milestone at The Oval, pushing his tally to 737 runs in the ongoing series.

The 25-year-old also eclipsed the legendary Garry Sobers’ record for the most runs by a visiting captain in a Test series in England-a mark that had stood for over six decades. With three centuries and a double hundred already in the series, Gill has firmly established himself as the torchbearer of India’s Test future.

In hindsight, Rishabh Pant’s run-out during the second innings at Lord’s had proved to be a turning point in a game India eventually lost by 22 runs. They’ll now hope that Gill’s dismissal doesn’t have a similar impact, as they look to fight back on Day 2 with the scoreboard reading 204 for 6.