0f the many remarkable feats to have showed Bazball its rightful place in contemporary cricket, possibly the most telling has been Shubman Gill's unbeaten second-innings fifty.

It's also remarkable because probably no one had thought before this series that Gill would be able to grind his way to such a crucial win like Ranchi. Gabba, 2021-when he had scored that epic 91-is bound to crop up here but even Gill would admit that a) that pitch had far more consistent bounce and b) it's always more difficult to chase at home purely because of the psychological aspect of doing it in front of your people.

You can't ignore the temperament though. If it was striking in Gabba, at Ranchi it was a level higher. It's not as if Gill had dropped off the radar in the intervening time. Last year was spent confirming, and then excelling in his position as India's white-ball marauder.

One-day hundreds, even a double, came at ridiculous ease but a similar fluency was lacking in Tests. Centuries against Bangladesh aren't always given the

hadn't scored a fifty in 12 consecutive innings, the possibility that this might not be his format after all had begun making its way to different conversations.

That way, the hundred at Visakhapatnam was timely, but it wasn't chanceless by any means. Gill continued to look vulnerable, hesitant with his shot selection and even cagey about taking singles at times. But the runs kept coming. An aggregate of 342 at an average of 48.85 thus has scripted an unusual tale of resurgence where Gill's technique and skill may not have always been top class but there was never any dearth of runs or character. And in Tests, you need both to justify your place.