Kevin Pieterson Recalls His Early Support For Gill (Source: @ThadhaniManish_/x.com, @KP24/x.com)
The heat is rising at Edgbaston, and so is Shubman Gill’s leadership. Once questioned for his Test average after being India’s captain, Gill has shut down all doubts with his batting masterclass.
A year ago, when questions surrounded Shubman Gill’s form, former English captain Kevin Pietersen stood firm behind the Indian batter. After Gill’s recent heroics, Pietersen couldn’t resist pulling up his old tweet, proudly reminding the world that he saw the brilliance coming.
Pietersen Proudly Recalls His Early Faith In Gill
Despite some exceptional performances, Shubman Gill’s Test record has always come under the scanner. But long before his recent heroics, one cricket legend saw the spark in him. Back in early 2024, Kevin Pietersen had already predicted Gill’s rise, and now the prediction is coming true.
When England traveled to India last year, Gill struggled early on, but Kevin Pietersen backed him on that situation using Jack Kallis’ example. On his social media, he wrote, “Kallis averaged 22 in his first 10 Tests and turned out to be arguably the greatest player to play the game. Give @ShubmanGill time to find it, please. He’s a serious player.”
Now, in the ongoing second Test match against England, Gill has unleashed his finest form. With a century and a double ton already in the bag, he played an exceptional knock of 269 runs. Amid this heroics, the English great resurfaced his old tweet.
Sharing a picture of his old tweet, Pietersen wrote, “Remember my tweet about @ShubmanGill?” That has sparked attention.
Pietersen's Tweet (Source: @KP24/x.com)
Gill’s 269 Marks The Dawn Of India’s New Test Era
Since taking Team India’s Test captaincy, Shubman Gill has been transformed into something new. Starting the journey as India’s skipper, he smashed a thrilling century in the first Test, but the cricket world witnessed a different form of Gill in the ongoing match. As Team India faced some early blows, Gill led the way from the front.
Gill carried his form into Day 2, picking up where he left off previous day. After reaching 150, he powered his way to a stunning double hundred and crossed 250-run mark, finishing with a sensational 269 off 387 balls at an average of 69.51.
With that absolute dominance, Team India is standing on a strong side with a total of 587 runs on the board. After Ro-Ko’s departure, the batter is creating another legacy in the longest format.
 "Poulomi Chakraborty")
