Dinesh Karthik lauded Shubman Gill for his exceptional second-innings century in the fourth Test against England at Manchester. India were 0/2 when Shubman Gill joined KL Rahul in the middle, following a massive 311-run deficit from the first innings.

Gill was under scrutiny for some of the decisions. However, when the team was on the back foot, he stood tall with a brilliant 103 off 238 balls. This was his fourth century of the series, taking his tally to 722 runs in four Tests, at an average of over 90.

“I believe this was the most hardworking century in the series. He entered the Leeds Test under immense pressure, scored that hundred, which must have been a huge relief. Then, in the Edgbaston Test, he batted like a run-scoring machine, refusing to get out,” Dinesh Karthik said.

“It was all about absorbing the pressure in the fourth Test. It wasn’t easy as Ben Stokes was in the middle of a brilliant bowling spell. He took a few blows on his body but remained solid, and built a brilliant partnership with KL Rahul,” Karthik added.

In a post-match discussion on Sky Sports, Karthik spoke about Gill’s future as India’s captain. Despite leading the team for the first time in Test cricket, the young skipper has already broken several records.

“To achieve this when India had no hope and now be at 722 runs, surpassing Yashasvi Jaiswal for the most runs in an India-England series, I believe he’s destined for something extraordinary as a leader,” he concluded.