There is a lot to learn seeing the way Cheteshwar Pujara bats: Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill in the ongoing domestic season has made quite a wave with his big knocks and the youngster recently said that it is Cheteshwar Pujara who has set the benchmark for youngsters with his performances in Australia. The India No.3 completely stole the limelight and emerged as the best batsman of the series as the team won the series 2-1 to register their first-ever Test series win on Australian soil. In a series where almost all the batsmen struggled to get going, Pujara looked class apart.

He scored 521 runs with the help of three centuries including an epic knock of 193 in the fourth Test to walk away with the Man of the series award. The right-hander faced a staggering 1,258 balls in the series which is the most by an Indian in a Test series in Australia surpassing Rahul Dravid’s 1203 balls in the 2003/04 tour. He also became just the third Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli to score three or more centuries in a Test series in Australia.

Hailing Pujara for his exploits in Australia, Gill said there is a lot to learn from the India Test star.

“There are very few batsmen who can bat through the day and look to play out the balls. He (Pujara) played over 1200 balls in one tour, which is really phenomenal. To score 500 runs in a tour looks possible. But to face so many deliveries is setting a benchmark for the youngsters,” Gill told reporters on the sidelines of a Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture.

“There is a lot to learn seeing the way Cheteshwar Pujara bats, his patience at the crease. Australia had the world’s top bowlers and to score against them on the those tough pitches is phenomenal. I love watching him bat. Nowadays the batsmen look to score quick runs,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that Pujara also became the first visiting player in the last 70 years to bat 300+ balls in an innings in consecutive Test matches in Australia. The feat was previously achieved by India’s Vijay Hazare when he faced more than 300 balls in both innings of the 1948 Adelaide Test match.

Gill in phenomenal form

Just like Pujara, Gill himself is in red-hot form. The Under-19 World Cup-winner has been scoring heavily in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy. In just 5 games, he has amassed a staggering 720 runs at an incredible average of almost 80. He has also scored two centuries and four fifties.

Since returning from New Zealand, Gill has played three Ranji matches in which he tallies 536 runs at an average of 134. His top score of 268 came against Tamil Nadu last month.

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