Shubman Gill credits Yuvraj Singh for his heroics Down Under

Young Indian opener Shubman Gill has credited former India legend Yuvraj Singh for his consistent run in Australia in his maiden season as a full-time Test opener. Gill spent a considerable amount of time with the former left-hander in a camp before the last Indian Premier League. Gill who had played a few limited-overs matches coming into the long tour got his elusive Test cap during the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

From the outset, his strokeplay was exceptional and was one of those very few players who looked at complete ease against a world-class Australian pace battery and Nathan Lyon. He did play a few poor shots which brought about his downfall but his composure in the crease was a sight to behold. He smashed a sensational 91 in the 2nd innings of the final Test and provided the much-needed impetus for the guys coming after him to go after the target.

Gill who looked at ease against well-directed short deliveries was trained by Yuvraj with throwdowns in the nets. Gill was one of the finds for India during the Test series and his returns clearly show that he is here to stay.

"The camp with Yuvi paaji before the IPL was very useful. During that camp, he prepared me to face the chin music. He used to throw hundreds of short-pitch balls to me from different angles, and I think it helped me a lot," Gill was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Despite looking at ease against all the top fast bowler he did admit that he was a bit nervous while making his debut for India and quite understandably so.

"I am relaxed now. Making my debut for India is a big relief. I was a bit nervous,” Gill added.

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Umesh Yadav unfollows RCB on Instagram after franchise releases seamer

India fast bowler Umesh Yadav has unfollowed Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore on his Instagram account. After being released by the Bangalore based unit, he has started to follow Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the mini auctions. Yadav has been a part of the RCB franchise from the year 2018 where he was bought for Rs 4.2 crore. The right-handed fast bowler had earlier played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils). The seamer has played 121 matches picking up 119 wickets at an economy of 8.51, but played just two matches in the last edition and did not manage to pick any wickets. Umesh was one of the players from the Indian team that was touring Australia to get ruled out after sustaining injury. List of retained players by RCB: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Philippe, Shahbaz Ahmed and Pavan Deshpande. List of released players by RCB: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Philippe, Shahbaz Ahmed and Pavan Deshpande. List of players retained by CSK– MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, Faf Du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Ravi Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, Imran Tahir, R. Sai Kishore, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi. List of players released- Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Monu Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson (retired).

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Wriddhiman Saha urges everyone to give Pant some breathing space

Team India stumper, Rishabh Pant had a sensational time with the bat in Australia and was instrumental in India's historic Test series victory with a match-winning knock of 87 in the second innings of the final Test. India sealed the Border Gavaskar Trophy by a 2-1 margin after the historic victory at the Gabba in Brisbane. Pant was included in the Indian playing XI after the opening Test in Adelaide after Wriddhiman Saha had low returns with the bat. However, Pant’s inclusion became a headache for the captain as he kept dropping catches. His wicket-keeping skills were questioned time and again but what he did with the bat in the third, and the final Test made everyone sit up and notice the young talent. Wriddhiman Saha has urged the fans, supporters and critics to give Pant some breathing space as no one learns Algebra in Class I. "No one learns algebra in class I. You always go step by step. He is giving his best and will definitely improve. He has matured and proved himself. In the long run, it augurs well for the Indian team," he said of Pant who has often been found wanting behind the stumps. Talking about the competition in the national team, Saha stated, "You can ask him (Pant), we have a friendly relationship and help each other whoever gets into the XI. Personally, there's no conflict with him." "I don't' see who is No.1 or 2... Team will give a chance to those who do better. I will continue to do my job. Selection is not in my hands, it's up to the management." Saha heaped praises on the 23-year-old youngster who played a stellar role in the final day of the final Test which helped India seal a memorable win. "The way he has shown his intent after being sidelined from his favourite T20 and ODI formats were really exceptional." Ever since his heroics in the Test series, people have again started comparing Pant with MS Dhoni but just like the man himself, Saha also says that no one can replace Dhoni and people should allow Pant to make a name for himself. "He goes about his job with a cool head. Like Virat, he too has full belief in his players. Unlike Virat, he never shows any excitement. "Approach is a bit different, Rahane stays calm always, never loses temper. He knows well how to motivate the players. That is his success mantra."