Can't remember the last time I saw an England team so comprehensively outplayed. India batted better, bowled better, and fielded better. By a margin.
Gill and his chums took the best English bowling could fling in their direction and swatted it imperiously to the boundary. Again, and again, and again. I jotted
Shubman Gill
Scores at will
With the caveat that I saw the whole thing only in the form of 'Today at the Test' highlights, that was one of the inningses of my lifetime. Or rather, two. And he didn't just score big; he scored so beautifully.
And it wasn't just elegant, effortless, economical, the truly amazing thing was that it was pretty much chanceless, start to finish, both innings.
Played sah!
Compare Ben Stokes, chopping on on I think 7, missing his stumps by a couple of inches and the grace of God, with the score shy of 100 and Five Returned to The Pavilion. Every Indian ball, you feared for the batsman. And this without their #1 bowler...
The camera caught a look on Stokes' face, when Gill was past 250 and swatting 'em away like flies, and it was: what can I do? And the answer was: not a lot.
Given time India could've easily scored 1000 in their second innings. England were running on empty by that stage. Going through the motions. Like zombies. Just waiting for it to end.
Here's to you, Shubman Gill. I hadn't heard of you a fortnight ago. I have now.