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Follow UsYou give Shubman Gill a sniff, and he'll make you pay. Dropped when he was well set on 45, the 25-year-old went on to make the Blackcaps pay with a fine 90.
After what transpired in the final 15 minutes on Day 1, India would have wanted to get off to a sound start on Day 2. Pant ensured that was the case as he smashed the first two deliveries of the day off Ajaz Patel into the fence, hitting three boundaries overall in the first over of the day.
Right, so the tone was set. But if Pant's previous knocks are anything to go by, that over could have been the start of a big knock or an innings that could come to an end the very next delivery. Thankfully for India, it turned out to be the former.
The one thing the batter at the other end must not do while playing with Pant is look to match him shot for shot. While Pant took on the bowling regularly, Gill did not try to be over-aggressive, nor did he go into his shell; he played the ball according to its merit. He charged down when needed, defended well and, in general, knocked the ball around to keep the scoreboard ticking. That's exactly what you need from your No.3.
Overall, he looked in complete control as his control% of 83% was the best among all batters who faced at least 15 deliveries in the match after Ravindra Jadeja (92%) .
Although he would have had his heart in his mouth when Mark Chapman was closing in on a catch at long-on, that was just the sort of let-off Gill needed to re-focus, and he never looked back after that.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal yesterday, Gill played with much more intent to score, notching up 29 off 35 in the 53-run stand. However, with Pant at the other end, like most batters, he was happy to play second-fiddle.
Once Pant was dismissed, Gill knew there were 6-7 overs left till lunch, and along with Ravindra Jadeja, who came in ahead of Sarfaraz Khan, he batted the rest of the session out.
Gill got off to starts in both innings in Pune after missing the first Test in Bengaluru through an injury. However, he has made amends in Mumbai by scoring a timely 90, putting up useful partnerships along the way.
You cannot question Gill's performance ever since he's been handed the responsibility of batting at three last year, a role Cheteshwar Pujara played with distinction for many years. He has three of his five tons (13 innings) in this period and has scored at an average over 46. The upcoming tour of Australia will be Gill's biggest test at No. 3, with some of the best bowlers in the world will be having a go at him.
With big names Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not contributing as much as they were expected in the New Zealand Tests, young guns like Gill, Sarfaraz and of course, Pant have stepped up to the plate and delivered.
They cannot change the fact that all of them are part of the wrong side of history, having lost a series for the first time in 12 years at home, but can certainly look to the future and ensure such debacles - home or away - do not happen again.
With the superstars slowly fading away, the next couple of months will determine if the next-gen is ready to take up the mantle and carry the legacy forward.
(All stats updated till Gill's dismissal)
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