IND vs BAN: Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill explode into brilliance as India scent victory

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Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, two Young Turks, carved out centuries in contrasting styles, to entertain fans present inside the MA Chidambaram Stadium as well as those watching on television as India treated the Bangladesh bowlers like club class on Day 3 of the first Test on Saturday.

One has to rewind to the first two sessions on Day 1, where a young fast bowler Hasan Mahmud made an impression, before R. Ashwin hammered a ton in style. The same bowler and his colleagues looked clueless against the calibre of Pant and Gill, both on different missions but chasing a similar goal. At the end of Day 3, the visitors were 158 for 4, needing 357 runs more for a win. Impossible that, with R. Ashwin already snapping up three wickets.

Saturday, truly, belonged to Pant and Gill. At age 25 and 26, these two batters are valuable for India with a long future ahead. For those who have followed these two from Delhi and Punjab, respectively, they are show-stoppers. And the similarity does not end with the fact both slammed centuries to cement their spots in the Test side.

The larger picture is, India needs these two young men to find form and establish themselves as automatic choices. Quite often, fans and experts have spoken of both these young men being suited for all three formats of cricket. Just that Gill was distinctly unlucky not to make the cut for the Indian team which won the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies. He, obviously, could not get bogged down by that and has moved on. More important, to step down the order and bat at No.3, Gill has made changes to bat more responsibly.

There was a similarity between Pant and Gill as both had not scored heavily in the first innings. If there was some kind of chase on as to who would get to the triple digit mark first, Pant was in the mood. You can choose a plethora of adjectives to describe the way Pant established himself on Saturday. He, obviously, does not belong to the old school wherein Test cricket means he has to follow the concept of bat and pad close together. The grammar of his batting has more to do with strokeplay, being a thorough entertainer and plundering runs. For sheer audacity bordering on arrogance, Pant was a wonderful entertainer.

He was in the mood to play pranks as well, as evident from a video which went viral. And as he stepped up his scoring, Gill seemed happy to be at the other end and watch the dashing Delhi man stage one of the best-ever comebacks after having flirted with death in December 2022. People will keep recalling the car accident and scary images of Rishabh Pant. It was a grim situation and his comeback has been nothing short of a miracle. The way he has pushed hard on his own fitness and cricket has been magical.

A few former cricketers from Delhi were sceptical as to how Pant would deal with the rigours of cricket in the IPL this summer. Pant showed he could bat and keep wickets with no discomfort. That was the first sign, his comeback was going to be full-fledged. Then, when the BCCI secretary Jay Shah pronounced Pant would be an important figure for the T20 World Cup, it conveyed a big signal. For those who feel Pant is taking on too much cricket, please recall what coach Gautam Gambir said - He can even open. Well, to be playing at the No. 5 position in this Test and dominate with the bat, even Virat Kohli had halted his net session to watch Pant explode into brilliance and hammer his sixth Test ton. Comparisons are being made with his predecessor MS Dhoni, who took a longer time to score six tons, but that would be unnecessary. For a sheer explosive burst, Pant batted with purpose.

It was a matter of time before Gill would step up. The No.3 spot is an important one in Test cricket and for someone like Gill, essentially a stroke-maker, he had to curb on his natural aggression and play with more self-control. It is an important lesson he is learning on his own, and had more to do with a mental approach shift rather than a change in his shot selection. Obviously, what he does in white ball cricket will be different from red-ball cricket which Tests are. Surely, for new coach Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, watching Pant and Gill would also have been a joy.

Chasing a win, it is mission impossible for Bangladesh, who had to deal with the guile of R.Ashwin, who went wicketless in the first innings. Three in his kitty in the second innings, he loves bowling at the Chepauk.