He is not the next somebody; he is the first Shubman Gill: Wasim Jaffer

Former opening batsman Wasim Jaffer has praised the young debutant Shubman Gill as one of the exceptional batsmen. He has also encouraged the cricketer to shape his own identity.

Shubman Gill was brought in as a replacement of his former Under-19 captain Prithvi Shaw in the Indian playing XI. The 21-year-old impressed everyone with his tremendous batting skills. The youngster's ability to time the ball with perfection has impressed the entire cricket fraternity. His steady approach against one of the best fast bowling attacks of the current era was also awe-inspiring.

Shubman Gill had an outstanding debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

The opening batsman played some stunning shots at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This also included powerful straight-drives and impressive cover-drives during his debut game.

After India lost some quick wickets in Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara in both innings, the young debutant continued to play his shots with utmost composure and confidence. Gill ultimately stayed unbeaten at a 36-ball 35 in the end. The visitors mended the target with eight wickets to level the Border-Gavaskar series 1-1.

In the absence of star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, the side managed to bounce back, and they levelled the series. The humiliation of collapsing for 36 at the Adelaide Oval was something that the Indian side has to turnaround.

It all happened because of a brilliant partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja on day three. The visitors first successfully dismissed Australia for 200 and then returned to chase 70 in just 15.5 overs on day four. Earlier it was one session that had cost India the first Test, and it was once again a session where Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja batted brilliantly on day two. Their partnership saw India capture the second game.

However, the win wasn't that easy for the men in blue. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc made sure that the success would not be a cakewalk for them. They grabbed two early wickets of Agrawal and Pujara.

However, some ensuring batting from Gill and Rahane eased everyone's situation in the Indian dressing room. Team India recorded a comprehensive 8-wicket win. The recent victory brought India right back into the series. The win has also taken them a step closer to securing a spot in the ICC World Test Championship final.

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