Former India player Pragyan Ojha has applauded Shubman Gill for overcoming immense pressure and scoring a beautiful century in India’s second innings of the second Test against England. However, Gill smashed 104 runs off 147 balls in India’s second-innings total of 255 on Day 3 in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, February 4. England also ended the day at 67/1 in pursuit of a 399-run target.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ojha praised Gill, saying: “The biggest thing was the way he handled pressure. Your body reacts based on how much confidence your mind gives you. He managed himself very well. He had to do two things. He was playing for his place and for saving the country as well, the situation was like that. He played shots all around the park. A complete batter can attack in all directions, in front of and behind the wickets. He scored a slightly higher percentage of runs on the leg side because the game plan was also like that,”

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However, Ojha also added that Shubman Gill answered his critics who were questioning his decision to bat at No. 3 wrong as well. Notably, Gill requested the team management for the No. 3 position during the tour of the West Indies. Before his century on Sunday, the right-handed batter hadn’t even scored a fifty in his previous 11 innings at the position as well.

“Overall, he played on the merit of the ball and scored runs. He had accepted a challenge and had to show what he could do. The way he answered the questions that were being raised showed the grit in his batting,” he said. “If you see his celebration, it showed that he is extremely determined, because he didn’t celebrate too much. I felt he wanted to tell the world that he has just started off and hasn’t achieved anything big.”